NY State Senate Bill 2025-S2640

Senate Bill S2640

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Includes veterans in the definition of military status for purposes of unlawful discrimination

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 22, 2025	referred to investigations and government operations

2025-S2640 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A55
Current Committee:: Senate Investigations And Government Operations
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §292, Exec L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: A9869
2023-2024: S4515, A569

2025-S2640 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Includes veterans in the definition of military status to protect veterans from being unlawfully discriminated against.

2025-S2640 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2640

SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to including veterans in
the definition of military status for purposes of unlawful discrimi-
nation

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To clarify that protections against discrimination based on military
status includes status as a veteran.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends executive law to include veterans in the definition of
"military status."

Section 2 sets the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:

New York is home to 1.2 million veterans, making it one of six states
with over 1 million veterans. Veterans face unique challenges when tran-
sitioning back into civilian life, including difficulties related to
obtaining housing, demonstrating eligibility for public benefits such as
disability benefits, and child support issues.

Impoverished veterans struggle to afford stable housing and are at a
greater risk of homelessness than non-veterans, which can lead to family
issues. For non-custodial veteran parents, child support debt can be a
barrier to securing housing and employment. According to a report from
the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, there are between
20,000 and 29,999 veterans in the caseload in New York alone.

Current Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination based on military
status. However, many veterans continue to face discrimination when they
come home. This bill clarifies the definition of "military status" in
the executive law to explicitly include veterans released from military
service to ensure that they are continued to be protected from discrimi-
nation when they have finished serving their term.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect

2025-S2640 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2640
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 22, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
   ment Operations
 
 AN  ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to including veterans in
   the definition of military status for purposes of  unlawful  discrimi-
   nation

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 28 of section 292  of  the  executive  law,  as
 added by chapter 106 of the laws of 2003, is amended to read as follows:
   28.  The  term  "military  status"  when  used in this article means a
 person's participation in the military service of the United  States  or
 the  military  service  of  the state, including but not limited to, the
 armed forces of the United States, the  army  national  guard,  the  air
 national  guard, the New York naval militia, the New York guard, SERVICE
 AS A COMMISSIONED OFFICER IN THE  PUBLIC  HEALTH  SERVICE,  COMMISSIONED
 OFFICER  OF  THE  NATIONAL  OCEANIC  AND  ATMOSPHERIC  ADMINISTRATION OR
 COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE  ENVIRONMENTAL  SCIENCES  SERVICES  ADMINIS-
 TRATION,  A  CADET AT A UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES SERVICES ACADEMY, and
 such additional forces as may be created by the federal or state govern-
 ment as authorized by law.   "MILITARY  STATUS"  SHALL  ALSO  INCLUDE  A
 PERSON'S  PARTICIPATION  IN THE MILITARY SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OR
 THE MILITARY SERVICE OF THE STATE IF SUCH PERSON HAS BEEN RELEASED  FROM
 SUCH SERVICE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00532-03-5

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