What's happening
This bill allows New York municipalities to set aside up to 1% of civil service jobs for qualified disabled veterans.
Why it matters
Expands local authority to support disabled veterans. By allowing—but not requiring—municipalities to set aside civil service positions specifically for qualified disabled veterans, this bill gives local governments more tools to address veteran unemployment and recognize their service.
Prioritizes combat-wounded veterans. Veterans who received a Purple Heart for combat injuries, where the injury is a major factor in their disability, are given preference for these positions, ensuring those most affected by their service get additional access to job opportunities.
Creates a new noncompetitive hiring pathway. The bill moves these set-aside jobs from the standard competitive class to the noncompetitive class, enabling disabled veterans to qualify based on their ability to do the job rather than through standard civil service exams, which may otherwise be a barrier.
Ensures promotional opportunities. Disabled veterans hired under this provision retain the right to compete for promotions just like other civil service employees, supporting career advancement rather than limiting them to entry-level roles.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Hire Disabled Veterans Locally
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4351
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 10, 2017
Introduced by Sen. TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to the employment of veterans with disabilities by municipalities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The civil service law is amended by adding a new section 55-d to read as follows:
§ 55-d. Employment of veterans with disabilities by municipalities. 1. By enactment of a local law, any county, city, town or village may determine a number of positions as determined by subdivision three of this section that may be performed by disabled veterans and veterans with disabilities who are found otherwise qualified to perform satisfactorily the duties of any such position. Upon such determination, such positions shall be classified in the noncompetitive class, and may be filled only by veterans of the armed forces of the United States who served therein during time of war, as defined in paragraph (c) of subdivision one of section eighty-five of this chapter, and (a) who establish by appropriate documentary evidence that they are disabled veterans, as defined in paragraph (b) of subdivision one of section eighty-five of this chapter, or (b) by those veterans, as defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section eighty-five of this chapter, who shall have been certified by the employee health service of the department as being disabled but capable of performing the duties of said positions. Priority in certification and referral of both such disabled veterans and certified disabled but capable veterans shall be given to those veterans who received a wound in combat, as documented by the awarding of the purple heart, as authorized by the United States department of defense, and that wound is the cause of, or a substantially contributing factor to, the degree of impairment, who otherwise meet the requirements of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06366-01-7
S. 4351 2
this section. The number of veterans appointed pursuant to this section shall not exceed the limits established by subdivision three of this section.
2. Those employees hired under subdivision one of this section, shall be afforded the same opportunity to take promotional examinations as provided to employees in the competitive class.
3. The number of positions to be classified in the noncompetitive class pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be at the discretion of the governing body of the county, city, town or village enacting such local law, but it shall in no event exceed one percent of the positions within such county, city, town or village that are currently classified as being within the competitive class. In all cases a county, city, town or village enacting such local law may designate no less than one such position should it so desire.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to the employment of veterans with disabilities by municipalities
Purpose or general idea of bill
To allow local governments by adoption of a local law to designate up to one percent of competitive civil service positions as non- competitive for the purpose of offering those positions to disabled veterans of the united States Armed Forces.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one creates a new Section 55-d of the Civil Service Law, which would allow any local government entity to adopt a local law designating no more than one percent, but not less than one, of its competitive civil service positions as noncompetitive if those positions are then filled by disabled veterans, and specifies that such veterans remain eligible for the opportunity to take promotional exams.
Justification
Section 55-c of the Civil service Law authorizes up to 300 state competitive civil service positions to be classified as noncompetitive for the purpose of offering those positions specifically to disabled veterans.
This bill will allow local governments to adopt a similar approach towards helping provide employment opportunities to what is perhaps the most deserving group of all New Yorkers. The threshold is both flexible enough to be usable for localities of any size, and is set low enough as not to compromise the competitive civil service system. This legislation will offer an opportunity for localities to demonstrate their commitment to and appreciation of our disabled veterans, and will hopefully increase the number of opportunities across the state for these veterans.
Prior legislative history
New Bill
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None
Effective date
Immediate upon enactment.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.