Bill Text: NY A03920 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enables veterans and reservists to receive benefit information upon applying for or renewing a driver's license.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-3)

Status: (Passed) 2021-11-11 - signed chap.602 [A03920 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A03920-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3920

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 29, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ, BRONSON, CYMBROWITZ, BENEDETTO, CUSICK,
          GUNTHER,  GOTTFRIED,  PICHARDO,  BARRON,  COOK, GALEF, COLTON, HUNTER,
          PERRY, BUTTENSCHON, BYRNE, NORRIS, CRUZ, BARRETT,  GRIFFIN  --  Multi-
          Sponsored  by  --  M.  of  A.  SIMON  -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Transportation

        AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the  executive  law,  in
          relation to enabling veterans and reservists to receive benefit infor-
          mation upon applying for or renewing a driver's license

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 508 of the vehicle and traffic law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
     3    6. The commissioner, in consultation with the director of the division
     4  of  veterans'  services, is directed to establish a process by which the
     5  department shall refer driver's license  and  non-driver  identification
     6  card applicants requesting and obtaining a notation upon such license or
     7  non-driver identification card that he or she is a veteran of the United
     8  States  armed  forces  pursuant  to  subdivision  three  of section four
     9  hundred ninety of this  chapter  or  subdivision  one  of  section  five
    10  hundred two of this article, upon his or her request, to the division of
    11  veterans'  services,  consistent  with  the  provisions of section three
    12  hundred fifty-four-a of the executive law.
    13    § 2. Section 354-a of the executive law, as amended by  section  8  of
    14  part  AA  of  chapter  56  of  the  laws  of 2019, is amended to read as
    15  follows:
    16    § 354-a. Information  on  status  of  veterans  receiving  assistance.
    17  Departments, divisions, bureaus, boards, commissions and agencies of the
    18  state  and  political  subdivisions  thereof,  which provide assistance,
    19  treatment, counseling, care, supervision or  custody  in  service  areas
    20  involving  health,  mental  health, family services, criminal justice or
    21  employment, including but not limited to the office of  [alcoholism  and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05234-02-1
        A. 3920                             2

     1  substance  abuse  services]  addiction  services and supports, office of
     2  mental health, office of probation and correctional alternatives, office
     3  of children and family services,  office  of  temporary  and  disability
     4  assistance,  department  of health, department of labor, local workforce
     5  investment boards, office for people  with  developmental  disabilities,
     6  and  department  of corrections and community supervision, shall request
     7  assisted persons to provide information with  regard  to  their  veteran
     8  status  and  military experiences. Individuals identifying themselves as
     9  veterans, including individuals  requesting  and  obtaining  a  veterans
    10  notation  on  their  driver's  license or non-driver identification card
    11  pursuant to sections four hundred ninety and five  hundred  two  of  the
    12  vehicle and traffic law, shall be advised that the division of veterans'
    13  services  and  local  veterans' service agencies established pursuant to
    14  section three hundred fifty-seven of this article provide assistance  to
    15  veterans  regarding  benefits  under  federal and state law. Information
    16  regarding veterans status and  military  service  provided  by  assisted
    17  persons  solely to implement this section shall be protected as personal
    18  confidential information under article six-A of the public officers  law
    19  against  disclosure of confidential material, and used only to assist in
    20  the diagnosis, treatment, assessment and handling of the veteran's prob-
    21  lems within the agency requesting such information and in referring  the
    22  veteran  to  the  division  of  veterans'  services  for information and
    23  assistance with regard to benefits and entitlements  under  federal  and
    24  state law.
    25    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    26  it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    27  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    28  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
    29  completed on or before such effective date.