STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5269
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. BAILEY, FERNANDEZ, RAMOS -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in relation to authorizing the
establishment of permanent COVID-19 memorials and establishing a
COVID-19 permanent memorial fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The state of New York and any municipality therein are
2 authorized to, in collaboration with municipal parks departments and
3 under the guidance of the office of parks, recreation, and historic
4 preservation, designate and establish a permanent COVID-19 memorial
5 within its jurisdiction. Municipalities seeking to establish and main-
6 tain such a memorial may apply for funding under section 99-ss of the
7 state finance law as well as from other public and private sources,
8 including but not limited to grants, donations, and partnerships. The
9 final designs and locations of such memorials shall be selected through
10 a community-driven process overseen by municipal parks departments, with
11 specific guidance from the office of parks, recreation, and historic
12 preservation, and with financial oversight from the comptroller's
13 office. The final designs and locations of such memorials shall prior-
14 itize input from those most impacted, including but not limited to fami-
15 ly members and loved ones of victims of COVID-19.
16 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-ss to
17 read as follows:
18 § 99-ss. COVID-19 permanent memorial fund. 1. There is hereby estab-
19 lished in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commission-
20 er of parks, recreation and historic preservation a fund to be known as
21 the "COVID-19 permanent memorial fund".
22 2. The fund shall consist of all moneys appropriated therefor, grants,
23 gifts or bequests received by the state for the purposes of the fund,
24 and all other moneys credited or transferred thereto from any other fund
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01702-01-5
S. 5269 2
1 or source. Moneys of such fund shall be expended only for the establish-
2 ment and maintenance of permanent COVID-19 memorials. Nothing in this
3 section shall prevent the state from soliciting and receiving grants,
4 gifts or bequests for the purposes of such fund and depositing them into
5 the fund according to law.
6 3. Moneys in such fund shall be kept separate from and shall not be
7 commingled with any other moneys in the custody of the comptroller or
8 the commissioner of parks, recreation and historic preservation. Any
9 moneys of the fund not required for immediate use may, at the discretion
10 of the comptroller, in consultation with the director of the budget, be
11 invested by the comptroller in obligations of the United States or the
12 state, or in obligations the principal and interest on which are guaran-
13 teed by the United States or by the state. Any income earned by the
14 investment of such moneys shall be added to and become a part of, and
15 shall be used for the purposes of such fund.
16 4. Moneys from such fund shall be disbursed for the establishment and
17 maintenance of permanent COVID-19 memorials by way of a grant program
18 established by the comptroller in conjunction with the office of parks,
19 recreation and historic preservation.
20 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
