NY State Senate Bill 2025-S2070

Senate Bill S2070

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires the department of veterans' services to establish and maintain a database of resources available in the state for veterans, members of the uniformed services, and their families

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 15, 2025	referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs

2025-S2070 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs
Law Section:: Veterans' Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §4, Veterans' Services L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S6523

2025-S2070 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the department of veterans' services to establish and maintain, in consultation and collaboration with other state agencies, a searchable database on the department's website providing resources available in the state for veterans, members of the uniformed services, and their families.

2025-S2070 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2070

SPONSOR: SCARCELLA-SPANTON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to directing the
department of veterans' services to establish and maintain, in consulta-
tion and collaboration with other state agencies, a searchable database
of resources available in the state for veterans, members of the
uniformed services, and their families

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To assist New York State veterans and their families to attain important
access to state funded programs and policies in one uniformed statewide
database.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amend section 4 of the veterans' service law by adding a new
Subdivision 39. To establish and maintain, in consultation and collab-
oration with other state agencies including, but not limited to, the

office of mental health, the department of health, the office of general
services, the department of labor, the department of state, and the
department of financial services, establish and maintain a searchable
database of resources available in the state for veterans, members of
the uniformed services, and their families.

Such database shall include but not be limited: general information
about and contact information for resources available through federal,
state, and local government agencies and other organizations including,
but not limited to, those relating to veterans' benefits, healthcare,
housing, employment, veteran-owned businesses, survivor benefits,
substance abuse disorder treatment, physical disabilities, educational
and job benefits, real property tax exemptions, suicide prevention and
peer outreach and support.

Information about the department's mobile application, established under
subdivision twenty-one of this section. Links to the departments small
business portal, established under subdivision twelve of this section,
the department's veterans' employment portal, established under subdivi-
sion thirteen of this section, the department's mental health, substance
abuse, and physical disabilities portals, establish under subdivision
twenty-seven of this section, and the department's military sexual trau-
ma portal, established under subdivision thirty-two of this section.

The database created shall be made available on the department's website
and shall be reviewed and updated annually.

Section 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it
shall become law.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Back in December of 2022 there was a legislative hearing on the Division
of Veterans' Affairs becoming a department. One of the problems
addressed by actual statewide veterans was that they were having diffi-
culty obtaining important t information that affects their and their
family's lives. Several veterans that testified experienced homeless-
ness, suffered from mental health issues, and improvements on how the
state needs to improve transposition services, transitional housing, and
support for gambling Addiction and LGBTQ community members who served in
the military.

There is a need for one uniform and collaborative database that shall be
implemented and maintained by the department of veterans' affairs.  This
should be implemented with the restructuring and streamlining of the new
department. This will also assist in accurate information for programs
such as the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to -Peer Veterans' Support Program as
well as other essential programs that assist local agencies to implement
and share with veterans.

New York I home to at least 800,000 veterans, but only an estimated 17%;
access benefits are eligible for throughout the state. This legis-
lation's intent is to improve this percentage by making state agency
information easily accessible to veterans, their families, and veteran
advocates.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023: A.7701 referred to Veterans' Affairs Committee

2024: Passed Senate and Assembly; Vetoed Message .37

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Yet to be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
completed on or before such an effective date.

2025-S2070 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2070
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on  Veterans,  Home-
   land Security and Military Affairs
 
 AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to directing the
   department of veterans' services to establish and maintain, in consul-
   tation and collaboration with other state agencies, a searchable data-
   base  of resources available in the state for veterans, members of the
   uniformed services, and their families
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  4  of  the  veterans' services law is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 40 to read as follows:
   40. (A) TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN, IN CONSULTATION  AND  COLLABORATION
 WITH  OTHER  STATE AGENCIES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE OFFICE OF
 MENTAL HEALTH, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE OFFICE OF GENERAL SERVICES,
 THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, AND THE DEPARTMENT  OF
 FINANCIAL  SERVICES, A SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE
 STATE FOR VETERANS, MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES, AND  THEIR  FAMI-
 LIES. SUCH DATABASE SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (1)  GENERAL  INFORMATION  ABOUT AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR RESOURCES
 AVAILABLE THROUGH FEDERAL, STATE,  AND  LOCAL  GOVERNMENT  AGENCIES  AND
 OTHER  ORGANIZATIONS  INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT LIMITED TO, THOSE RELATING TO
 VETERANS' BENEFITS, HEALTHCARE, HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT, VETERAN-OWNED BUSI-
 NESSES, SURVIVOR BENEFITS, SUBSTANCE USE  DISORDER  TREATMENT,  PHYSICAL
 DISABILITIES, EDUCATIONAL AND JOB BENEFITS, TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS,
 HEALTH  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH  REFERRALS,  REAL  PROPERTY  TAX EXEMPTIONS,
 SUICIDE PREVENTION, AND PEER OUTREACH AND SUPPORT;
   (2) INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT'S MOBILE APPLICATION, ESTABLISHED
 UNDER SUBDIVISION TWENTY-ONE OF THIS SECTION; AND
   (3) LINKS TO THE DEPARTMENT'S SMALL BUSINESS PORTAL, ESTABLISHED UNDER
 SUBDIVISION TWELVE OF THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT'S  VETERANS'  EMPLOY-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05777-01-5

 S. 2070                             2
 
 MENT PORTAL, ESTABLISHED UNDER SUBDIVISION THIRTEEN OF THIS SECTION, THE
 DEPARTMENT'S  MENTAL  HEALTH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
 PORTALS, ESTABLISHED UNDER SUBDIVISION TWENTY-SEVEN OF THIS SECTION, AND
 THE DEPARTMENT'S MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA PORTAL, ESTABLISHED UNDER SUBDI-
 VISION THIRTY-TWO OF THIS SECTION.
   (B)  THE  DATABASE  CREATED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE MADE
 AVAILABLE ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE AND SHALL BE REVIEWED AND  UPDATED
 AT LEAST ANNUALLY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation  of  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
 completed on or before such effective date.

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