Allows certain non-ambulatory persons who are permanently disabled and require the use of a wheelchair to have free use of any of the public campsites, parks and other public places of recreation in this state.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1765
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to allowing persons who are permanently disabled and require
the use of a wheelchair to have free use of any of the public camp-
sites, parks and other public places of recreation in this state
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 13.19 of the parks, recreation and
2 historic preservation law, as amended by chapter 103 of the laws of
3 2024, is amended to read as follows:
4 2. For the purposes of this section (a) "veteran" shall mean a resi-
5 dent of this state who is: (i) a veteran as such term is defined in
6 section one of the veterans' services law; or (ii) a person who has
7 served on active duty for the state as a member of the state organized
8 militia as defined in subdivision nine of section one of the military
9 law and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other
10 than dishonorable; or (iii) a person who has served on active duty in
11 the uniformed services of the United States or on active duty for the
12 state as a member of the organized militia and has a qualifying condi-
13 tion, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has
14 received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such
15 service, or is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of
16 the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad
17 conduct or dishonorable from such service; [and]
18 (b) "member of a Gold Star family" shall mean a resident of this state
19 who is a gold star parent as defined in section twenty-six of the veter-
20 ans' services law, the spouse or domestic partner, or the biological,
21 step, or legally adopted minor child of a veteran whose death qualified
22 the parent for an annuity[.]; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04713-01-5
A. 1765 2
1 (c) "non-ambulatory" shall mean a person who is permanently disa-
2 bled and requires the use of a wheelchair to access park facilities or
3 is unable to move about in a field, wood, or other natural area without
4 mechanical assistance.
5 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
