Waives application fees for individuals who certify to the state civil service department that they are unemployed; removes provisions requiring an individual also be primarily responsible for the support of a household or receiving public assistance.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5159
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 12, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CHANG -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Employees
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to waiving applica-
tion fees for individuals who certify they are unemployed
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of the civil
2 service law, as amended by section 1 of part EE of chapter 55 of the
3 laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
4 (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
5 sion, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the
6 director of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the approval
7 of the governing board or body of the city or county, as the case may
8 be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to govern-
9 mental agreement, may elect to waive application fees, or to abolish
10 fees for specific classes of positions or types of examinations or
11 candidates, or to establish a uniform schedule of reasonable fees
12 different from those prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision,
13 specifying in such schedule the classes of positions or types of exam-
14 inations or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided, howev-
15 er, that fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state
16 civil service department, a municipal commission or a regional commis-
17 sion that they are unemployed [and primarily responsible for the support
18 of a household, or are receiving public assistance]. Provided further,
19 the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee
20 for examinations for original appointment for all veterans. Provided
21 further, the state civil service department shall, and a municipal
22 commission may, subject to the approval of the governing board or body
23 of the city or county, as the case may be, or a regional commission or
24 personnel officer, pursuant to governmental agreement, waive application
25 fees for all examinations held between July first, two thousand twenty-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07652-01-5
A. 5159 2
1 three and December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five. Notwithstand-
2 ing any other provision of law, for purposes of this section, the term
3 "veteran" shall mean a person who has served in the armed forces of the
4 United States or the reserves thereof, or in the army national guard,
5 air national guard, New York guard, or the New York naval militia, and
6 who (1) has been honorably discharged or released from such service
7 under honorable conditions, or (2) has a qualifying condition, as
8 defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a
9 discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or
10 (3) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the
11 veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad
12 conduct or dishonorable from such service. The term "armed forces" shall
13 mean the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and coast guard.
14 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of the civil service
15 law, as amended by section 35 of part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of
16 2022, is amended to read as follows:
17 (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
18 sion, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the
19 director of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the approval
20 of the governing board or body of the city or county, as the case may
21 be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to govern-
22 mental agreement, may elect to waive application fees, or to abolish
23 fees for specific classes of positions or types of examinations or
24 candidates, or to establish a uniform schedule of reasonable fees
25 different from those prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision,
26 specifying in such schedule the classes of positions or types of exam-
27 inations or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided, howev-
28 er, that fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state
29 civil service department, a municipal commission or a regional commis-
30 sion that they are unemployed [and primarily responsible for the support
31 of a household, or are receiving public assistance]. Provided further,
32 the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee
33 for examinations for original appointment for all veterans. Notwith-
34 standing any other provision of law, for purposes of this section, the
35 term "veteran" shall mean a person who has served in the armed forces of
36 the United States or the reserves thereof, or in the army national
37 guard, air national guard, New York guard, or the New York naval mili-
38 tia, and who (1) has been honorably discharged or released from such
39 service under honorable conditions, or (2) has a qualifying condition,
40 as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has
41 received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such
42 service, or (3) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one
43 of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than
44 bad conduct or dishonorable from such service. The term "armed forces"
45 shall mean the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and coast guard.
46 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend-
47 ments to paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of the civil
48 service law made by section one of this act shall be subject to the
49 expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to section 2 of part
50 EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2023, as amended, when upon such date
51 the provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.
