S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4580
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                    March 30, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by Sen. NOZZOLIO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
         ty and Military Affairs
       AN ACT establishing the veterans' memorials preservation act
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
    2  the "veterans' memorials preservation act".
    3    S 2. Definitions. For the purposes of this act:
    4    (a) a "memorial" is any park, monument, field,  open  land,  grove  of
    5  trees,  building, structure, artwork, tablet, plaque, wall, or any other
    6  structure that has been donated to, or constructed by, a  public  entity
    7  as a memorial to veterans of any war, conflict, or police action engaged
    8  in  by  the  armed forces of the United States, or any one of the United
    9  States, or the New York national guard.
   10    (b) a "public entity" is any governmental body of any kind, including,
   11  but not limited to, the state, a city, town,  village,  borough,  school
   12  district, or public authority.
   13    S 3.  Memorials  shall be preserved and be open to the public. (a) Any
   14  public entity that has created or received a gift of  a  memorial  shall
   15  not  alter,  destroy,  reconfigure, adjust, change, modify, or move such
   16  memorial, or cause or permit any person to commit such  acts;  provided,
   17  however, that such acts are permitted when reasonably necessary.
   18    (b)  Any  public entity that has created a memorial or accepted a gift
   19  of a memorial shall maintain the memorial in a reasonable manner.
   20    (c) A public entity shall not restrict access to a memorial except  as
   21  reasonably necessary.
   22    S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD07043-01-5