Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Babylon) announced that several pieces of legislation she sponsored during her first session as chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee have passed the Assembly.

“The sacrifices veterans make in service to our country can often be overlooked — diminished in hindsight or ignored altogether,” Jean-Pierre said. “As chair of the Assembly’s Veterans Affairs Committee, I recognize that we can never fully repay these brave men and women for their efforts and service to our country. That’s why I fought to make the benefits we already offer to our veterans more accessible and ensure they impact more people. I’m also proud that we managed to pass a range of meaningful legislation this session that will give our veterans the resources they need and deserve.”

Jean-Pierre sponsored bills that would increase accessibility for veterans and active military members to access the benefits they earned in service to our country, as well as several measures to care for the families of our country’s heroes.

Jean-Pierre sponsored and helped pass legislation that would:

• Expand the Lifetime Liberty Pass to all veterans and Gold Star families, allowing them to use any of the public campsites, parks and other public places of recreation in New York free of charge (A.6084-A);

• Remove the requirement stating only veterans who served during wartime can be granted certain benefits (A.4611-B);

• Provide military leave for all represented and non-represented persons employed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which would create parity in benefits given to Port Authority employees and all other state public officers and employees (A.6834-A);

• Direct every state agency to designate a veterans’ liaison to provide information and assistance to veterans regarding benefits and services available to them within the various state agencies (A.7173).

Alongside funding that she secured for veterans’ programs and services in the 2023-24 state budget, Jean-Pierre considers her first year as chair of the Assembly’s Veterans Affairs Committee a success.

“While this year’s legislative session has concluded, our work to support our nation’s heroes is not over,” Jean-Pierre said. “We must continue to provide the resources our veterans need to thrive and ensure none of these brave men and women are allowed to fall through the cracks. As they transition back into civilian life, we owe it to those who dedicated their lives to protect us.”