Bill Text: NY S06703 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides that the attorney general, in consultation with the adjutant general and the chairman of the board of trustees of the New York interest on lawyer account fund, establish a military pro bono program to provide legal assistance without charge to those in active military service of the United States and those military personnel who have been deployed for active duty other than training, and their family members domiciled or stationed in the state; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO VETERANS, HOMELAND SECURITY AND MILITARY AFFAIRS [S06703 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S06703-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6703

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       May 5, 2023
                                       ___________

        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 military law and the state finance law, in relation
          to legal assistance for military families

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

     1    Section 1. The military law is amended by adding a new section 15-a to
     2  read as follows:
     3    § 15-a. Legal assistance for military families. 1. The attorney gener-
     4  al  shall, in consultation with the adjutant general and the chairman of
     5  the board of trustees of the New York interest on lawyer  account  fund,
     6  establish  a military pro bono program to provide legal assistance with-
     7  out charge to those in active military service of the United States  and
     8  those  military  personnel  who have been deployed for active duty other
     9  than training, and their family members domiciled or  stationed  in  the
    10  state.
    11  2.  The  assistance  provided  by such program shall include, but not be
    12  limited to: (a) civil law; (b) family  law;  (c)  estate  planning;  (d)
    13  employment  law;  (e)  immigration law; (f) debtor-creditor law; and (g)
    14  military administrative law.
    15    3. The attorney general and the adjutant general  may  apply  for  and
    16  receive  grants,  gifts,  donations, bequests, or other contributions to
    17  support the military pro bono program and shall deposit  such  funds  in
    18  the New York interest on lawyer account fund, to be used exclusively for
    19  legal assistance for military families pursuant to paragraph c of subdi-
    20  vision three of section ninety-seven-v of the state finance law.
    21    4.  The  adjutant  general  shall  establish  a  military family legal
    22  assistance advisory committee to include, among others,  representatives
    23  from  each  of the legal assistance offices on military installations in
    24  the state, the New York state bar association's committee  on  veterans,

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02316-01-3
        S. 6703                             2

     1  the  division of veterans' services, the office of court administration,
     2  veterans service  organizations,  military  support  organizations,  and
     3  organizations  involved in coordinating, supporting and delivering civil
     4  legal  aid  and pro bono legal services in New York state. The committee
     5  shall be co-chaired by the state judge advocate or his  or  her  assist-
     6  ants, and the chairman of the board of trustees of the New York interest
     7  on lawyer account fund, or his or her designee, and shall provide advice
     8  and  assistance to the attorney general regarding program design, opera-
     9  tion, volunteer recruitment, support strategies, service delivery objec-
    10  tives and priorities, and funding for the military pro bono program.
    11    5. The attorney general may promulgate rules and regulations necessary
    12  to effectuate the purposes of this section.
    13    § 2. Paragraph c of subdivision 3 of section 97-v of the state finance
    14  law, as added by chapter 659 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read  as
    15  follows:
    16    c.  The remaining funds shall be allocated for purposes related to the
    17  improvement of the administration of justice, including, but not limited
    18  to, legal assistance for military families pursuant to  a  military  pro
    19  bono  program  established  under section fifteen-a of the military law,
    20  the provision of civil legal services to groups currently underserved by
    21  legal services, such as the elderly and the disabled, and  the  enhance-
    22  ment of civil legal services to the poor through innovative and cost-ef-
    23  fective  means, such as volunteer lawyer programs and support and train-
    24  ing services.
    25    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.