Relates to creating the women veterans advisory committee to support and assist the Division of Veterans' Services in locating, educating, and advocating for all women veterans in this state.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
701--A
Cal. No. 151
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 6, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sens. KAPLAN, JORDAN, SANDERS -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veter-
ans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs -- reported favorably from
said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third
reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the
order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to creating the women
veterans advisory committee
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings. Women make up 15 percent of the
2 veterans of the armed forces of the United States and continue to be an
3 increasingly integral part of the operations of the armed forces of the
4 United States around the world. Few studies have been conducted to
5 determine and understand the unique challenges that women veterans may
6 have, both post deployment and following separation from active duty.
7 Many veterans who are women do not self-identify as veterans and may,
8 therefore, fail to consider various programs and benefits that are
9 available to them as a result of their military service.
10 § 2. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 3 of section 361-b of the executive
11 law, as amended by chapter 480 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read
12 as follows:
13 (c) liaison between the division, the United States department of
14 veterans affairs center for women veterans, the United States department
15 of veterans affairs advisory committee on women veterans, state veterans
16 nursing homes, state agencies, community groups, women veterans advisory
17 committee pursuant to section three hundred sixty-one-c of this article,
18 advocates and other veterans and military organizations and interested
19 parties;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00707-03-1
S. 701--A 2
1 § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 361-c to
2 read as follows:
3 § 361-c. Women veterans advisory committee. 1. The women veterans
4 advisory committee is hereby created consisting of eight members, with
5 members appointed as follows: (a) two members by the governor; (b) two
6 members by the temporary president of the senate; (c) two members by the
7 speaker of the assembly; and (d) one member each by the minority leader
8 of the senate and the minority leader of the assembly. All appointed
9 members must be women, and veterans who served in the United States
10 armed forces including members of the reserve component. Each veteran
11 shall have received an honorable discharge or have a qualifying condi-
12 tion as defined in section three hundred fifty of this article.
13 2. In making appointments pursuant to subdivision one of this section,
14 the following shall be considered:
15 (a) whether the appointments provide a geographical balance between
16 the urban and rural areas of this state and represent the cultural
17 diversity of this state; and
18 (b) the level of activity of the woman in the veteran community.
19 3. The committee shall elect a chair from among its members.
20 4. Each member of the committee shall serve a term of four years.
21 5. A vacancy on the committee shall be filled for the remainder of the
22 unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
23 6. The committee shall meet at least four times per year at the call
24 of the chair.
25 7. A majority of the members of the committee appointed constitutes a
26 quorum.
27 8. Each member of the committee:
28 (a) serves without compensation, except that a member of the committee
29 who is a state officer or employee may receive her regular compensation
30 while engaging in the business of the committee; and
31 (b) while engaged in the business of the committee, is entitled to
32 receive the per diem allowance and travel expenses provided for state
33 officers and employees generally.
34 9. The committee shall:
35 (a) support and assist the division of veterans' services and the
36 women veterans coordinator pursuant to section three hundred sixty-one-b
37 of this article in:
38 (i) locating, educating and advocating for all women veterans in this
39 state;
40 (ii) identifying the unique needs of women veterans;
41 (iii) conducting outreach and education through various means, includ-
42 ing, without limitation, the organization of statewide women veterans
43 events, the promotion of benefits and health care for women veterans and
44 the development of programs that inform students, business leaders and
45 educators about the important role women play in the armed forces of the
46 United States;
47 (iv) educating women veterans as to benefits and programs that are
48 available to them;
49 (v) at least annually, making such recommendations as may be deemed
50 necessary or advisable to the governor, the state legislature, the
51 office of the director of the division of veterans' services and such
52 other offices of this state as may be appropriate;
53 (vi) making information available regarding job and career opportu-
54 nities;
S. 701--A 3
1 (vii) providing outreach regarding available resources for veterans
2 with a qualifying condition as defined in section three hundred fifty of
3 this article; and
4 (viii) advocating on behalf of women veterans to ensure that the
5 programs and policies of this state and of the United States department
6 of veterans' affairs remain open to women and mindful of the elements of
7 the experience of a veteran that are unique to women.
8 (b) submit a report on or before February fifteenth of each year,
9 outlining the activities of the committee during the preceding calendar
10 year and any recommendations of the committee to the governor and legis-
11 lature. The report must include, without limitation, information
12 pertaining to:
13 (i) the demographics of women veterans;
14 (ii) the current contributions that women veterans have made on behalf
15 of the United States and this state;
16 (iii) the unique needs of the population of women veterans;
17 (iv) recommendations regarding what steps should be taken to reduce
18 misinformation and improve support for programs for women veterans; and
19 (v) outreach activities undertaken by the committee.
20 10. The division of veterans' services shall help support the commit-
21 tee's activities.
22 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
23 it shall have become a law.
