NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8475
SPONSOR: Berger TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the elder law, the mental hygiene law, and the state
finance law, in relation to making technical corrections relating to the
title of the commissioner of veterans' services
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This relates to changing the references to the name of the Drector of
the Department of Veterans' Services to the Commissioner of the Depart-
ment of Veterans' Services.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill amends the various sections of law to change the reference of
the Director of Veterans' Services to the Commissioner of Veterans'
Services.
JUSTIFICATION:
Pursuant to Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022 Part PP, the Division of
Veterans' Services became the Department of Veterans' Services and the
director became the commissioner. This change did not become effective
until April 1, 2023. During the period from passage of the legislation
which made the changes and the effective date, several bills became law
with the previous title of the agency head. This measure makes the
appropriate name changes,
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new legislation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8475
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BERGER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the elder law, the mental hygiene law, and the state
finance law, in relation to making technical corrections relating to
the title of the commissioner of veterans' services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 15 of section 202 of the elder law, as amended
2 by section 1 of subpart J of part XX of chapter 55 of the laws of 2020,
3 is amended to read as follows:
4 15. to periodically, in consultation with the state [director] commis-
5 sioner of veterans' services, review the programs operated by the office
6 to ensure that the needs of the state's aging veteran population are
7 being met and to develop improvements to programs to meet such needs;
8 § 2. Subdivision (i) of section 19.07 of the mental hygiene law, as
9 amended by section 31-a of part AA of chapter 56 of the laws of 2019, is
10 amended to read as follows:
11 (i) The office of [alcoholism and substance abuse services] addiction
12 services and supports shall periodically, in consultation with the state
13 [director] commissioner of veterans' services: (1) review the programs
14 operated by the office to ensure that the needs of the state's veterans
15 who served in the U.S. armed forces and who are recovering from alcohol
16 and/or substance abuse are being met and to develop improvements to
17 programs to meet such needs; and (2) in collaboration with the state
18 [director] commissioner of veterans' services and the commissioner of
19 the office of mental health, review and make recommendations to improve
20 programs that provide treatment, rehabilitation, relapse prevention, and
21 recovery services to veterans who have served in a combat theatre or
22 combat zone of operations and have a co-occurring mental health and
23 alcoholism or substance abuse disorder.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13160-01-5
A. 8475 2
1 § 3. Subdivisions 1 and 5 of section 99-v of the state finance law, as
2 amended by section 17 of part AA of chapter 56 of the laws of 2019, are
3 amended to read as follows:
4 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the commission-
5 er of taxation and finance, the New York state [director] commissioner
6 of veterans' services and the comptroller, a special fund to be known as
7 the "homeless veterans assistance fund".
8 5. Moneys shall be paid out of the fund on the audit and warrant of
9 the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the New York state
10 [director] commissioner of veterans' services. Any interest received by
11 the comptroller on moneys on deposit in the homeless veterans assistance
12 fund shall be retained in and become part of such fund.
13 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
