What's happening
This bill requires New York State to ceremonially rename highway bridges after Medal of Honor recipients, without changing their official names.
Why it matters
Honoring Local Heroes. This bill ensures that bridges are ceremonially named after Medal of Honor recipients, specifically aiming for locations near their homes, which personalizes the recognition and ties their legacy to their local community.
Preserving Practicality for Travelers and Commerce. By making the renaming strictly ceremonial and not changing the official names, the bill avoids confusion for drivers, emergency responders, and businesses that rely on consistent infrastructure naming.
State Commitment to Military Recognition. The law obligates New York State to develop and maintain a formal, ongoing process for recognizing Medal of Honor recipients, signaling a strong, institutionalized respect for military service at the state level.
Managed Implementation. The bill directs the state to install and maintain appropriate signage, coordinated with existing infrastructure needs (like replacing old signs), ensuring the recognition is visible but cost-effective and logistically feasible.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Rename Bridges for Heroes
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.416
- Referred to transportation
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to transportation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 60–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1688
- Reported and committed to rules
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Rename Bridges for Heroes
In Assembly Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Michael DenDekker
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
849
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 5, 2017
Introduced by Sens. RITCHIE, CROCI, DeFRANCISCO, GALLIVAN, LARKIN, MARCHIONE, ORTT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the highway law, in relation to renaming the bridges of the state highway system after New York state's medal of honor recipients
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 10 of the highway law is amended by adding a new subdivision 47 to read as follows:
47. Create and implement a plan to rename the bridges of the state highway system after New York state's medal of honor recipients. Such plan shall (a) require that the bridges to be renamed be as close to the recipients' homes as feasible and (b) provide for the installation and maintenance of adequate signage pursuant to a schedule for the placement of signs to be established considering existing signs that need replacing. However, to avoid confusion and to limit any possible disruption of commerce, the designation called for pursuant to this subdivision shall be one of ceremonial nature and the official name of such bridge shall not be changed as a result of this act.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06835-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the highway law, in relation to renaming the bridges of the state highway system after New York state's medal of honor recipients
Purpose
:
To honor New York's Medal of Honor recipients by ceremoniously naming our state highway bridges for them.
Summary of provisions
:
Section 1 amends section 10 of the highway law by adding a new subdivision 47 implementing a plan to ceremoniously rename the state's highway bridges after its Medal of Honor recipients.
Section 2 provides the effective date the legislation.
Justification
:
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. The Medal is usually presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress. One in five Medal of Honor recipients is a New Yorker. Among the recipients are, the only woman ever to receive the Medal, Dr. Mary Walker of Oswego, a Civil War surgeon and spy, "Wild Bill" Donovan, the "father" of our modern CIA, Teddy Roosevelt Jr., son of the President, for his service in WWII, and recently, Jason Dunham of Seio, in Iraq.
Recognizing these defenders of liberty and freedom through a "Heroes Highways" initiative is especially fitting in our state. New York is home to one of America's largest military installations, the post at Fort Drum and is also home to the most deployed unit in the US Army. That dedicated unit has at least two Medal of Honor recipients to date.
This bill directs the Department of Transportation to designate state highway bridges to honor the 663 recipients of the Medal of Honor from New York pursuant to a schedule that considers the necessary replacement of existing signs. This is a low cost way to identify and commemorate some of our most distinguished community members. By ceremoniously changing the names of our state bridges on a timetable that takes into account existing signage needing replacement we may achieve the objective of being financially responsible while honoring our nation's greatest veterans.
Legislative history
:
2015-2016: S.3333 Referred to Transportation/ A.7386 - Referred to Transportation. 2013-2014: S.2527 - Referred to Transportation / A.7273 - Referred to Transportation 2012: S.7208 - Referred to Transportation
Fiscal implications
:
Minimal. Bridge signs containing the name of Medal of Honor recipients will be installed taking into consideration existing signs that are in need of replacement.
Local fiscal implications
:
None. EFFECTIVE DATE : Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.