BILL NUMBER: S2640
SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to including veterans in
the definition of military status for purposes of unlawful discrimi-
nation
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To clarify that protections against discrimination based on military
status includes status as a veteran.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends executive law to include veterans in the definition of
"military status."
Section 2 sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York is home to 1.2 million veterans, making it one of six states
with over 1 million veterans. Veterans face unique challenges when tran-
sitioning back into civilian life, including difficulties related to
obtaining housing, demonstrating eligibility for public benefits such as
disability benefits, and child support issues.
Impoverished veterans struggle to afford stable housing and are at a
greater risk of homelessness than non-veterans, which can lead to family
issues. For non-custodial veteran parents, child support debt can be a
barrier to securing housing and employment. According to a report from
the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, there are between
20,000 and 29,999 veterans in the caseload in New York alone.
Current Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination based on military
status. However, many veterans continue to face discrimination when they
come home. This bill clarifies the definition of "military status" in
the executive law to explicitly include veterans released from military
service to ensure that they are continued to be protected from discrimi-
nation when they have finished serving their term.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect

Statutes affected:
S2640: 292 executive law, 292(28) executive law