Relates to proof required for application of the distinguishing mark on veterans driver's licenses and non-driver IDs; conforms to federal law including National guard members and reservists with 20 years service as veterans.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2825
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 29, 2019
___________
Introduced by Sen. ORTT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to special
designation for veterans on driver's licenses
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (a-1) of subdivision 1 of section 504 of the
2 vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 429 of the laws of 2014,
3 is amended to read as follows:
4 (a-1) Every license or renewal thereof issued to an applicant who was
5 a member of the armed forces of the United States and received an honor-
6 able discharge or was released therefrom under honorable conditions, or
7 was a member of the National guard or military reserves who served at
8 least twenty years shall, upon his or her request and submission of
9 proof as set forth herein, contain a distinguishing mark, in such form
10 as the commissioner shall determine, indicating that he or she is a
11 veteran. Such proof shall consist of a certificate of release or
12 discharge from active duty including but not limited to a DD Form 214 ,
13 or in the case of a National guard member an NGB22 Form indicating twen-
14 ty years of service, or in the case of a military reservist a DD Form
15 256 and a Notification of Eligibility for Retired Pay letter, or other
16 proof satisfactory to the commissioner. The commissioner shall not
17 require fees for the issuance of such licenses or renewals thereof to
18 persons requesting a veteran distinguishing mark which are different
19 from fees otherwise required; provided, however, that notwithstanding
20 the provisions of this section, the commissioner shall not require fees
21 for a duplication or amendment of a license prior to its renewal if such
22 duplication or amendment was solely for the purpose of adding a veteran
23 distinguishing mark to such license.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08574-03-9
S. 2825 2
1 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 3 of section 490 of the vehicle and
2 traffic law, as amended by chapter 429 of the laws of 2014, is amended
3 to read as follows:
4 (b) The identification card shall contain a distinguishing number or
5 mark and adequate space upon which an anatomical gift, pursuant to arti-
6 cle forty-three of the public health law, by the holder may be recorded
7 and shall contain such other information and shall be issued in such
8 form as the commissioner shall determine; provided, however, every iden-
9 tification card or renewal thereof issued to a person under the age of
10 twenty-one years shall have prominently imprinted thereon the statement
11 "UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE" in notably distinctive print or format.
12 Provided, further, however, that every identification card issued to an
13 applicant who was a member of the armed forces of the United States and
14 received an honorable discharge or was released therefrom under honor-
15 able conditions, or was a member of the National guard or military
16 reserves who served at least twenty years shall, upon his or her request
17 and submission of proof as set forth herein, contain a distinguishing
18 mark, in such form as the commissioner shall determine, indicating that
19 he or she is a veteran. Such proof shall consist of a certificate of
20 release or discharge from active duty including but not limited to a DD
21 Form 214, or in the case of a National guard member an NGB22 Form indi-
22 cating twenty years of service, or in the case of a military reservist a
23 DD Form 256 and a Notification of Eligibility for Retired Pay letter, or
24 other proof satisfactory to the commissioner. The commissioner shall not
25 require fees for the issuance of such identification cards or renewals
26 thereof to persons under twenty-one years of age which are different
27 from the fees required for the issuance of identification cards or
28 renewals thereof to persons twenty-one years of age or over, nor fees to
29 persons requesting a veteran distinguishing mark which are different
30 from fees that would otherwise be required. Provided, however, that
31 notwithstanding the provisions of section four hundred ninety-one of
32 this article, the commissioner shall not require any fees for the dupli-
33 cation or amendment of an identification card prior to its renewal if
34 such duplication or amendment was solely for the purpose of adding a
35 veteran distinguishing mark to such identification card.
36 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
37 have become a law.
