“As a veteran, I am appalled by Gov. Cuomo’s recent veto of the veterans buy-back bill. This legislation would have allowed honorably-discharged veterans to purchase up to three years of their service from New York State to count toward their public retirement system benefits. More importantly, veterans who have served in conflicts such as Bosnia, Afghanistan and Somalia, are not given the option for a service credit and this bill would have addressed such a concern.

“I am deeply troubled that Gov. Cuomo supports taxpayer-funded college tuition for illegal immigrants but refuses to sign this legislation as a token of gratitude for those that have honorably defended our freedom. The legislature overwhelmingly passed this measure for the second straight year, and Gov. Cuomo blatantly ignored the pulse of the people. Furthermore, he again vetoed the bill days before Veterans Day, adding insult to injury and further alienating our needy veterans. This act illustrates the governor’s myopic view of the public’s needs, and I plan to push this legislation when we head back into session in January.”