What's happening
This bill creates a grant program giving municipalities financial incentives to hire unemployed veterans for at least one year.
Why it matters
Targets long-term unemployment among veterans by requiring at least 180 days of prior joblessness for eligibility, aiming to help those who face the highest barriers to re-entering the workforce.
Rewards municipalities for creating stable, full-time jobs (minimum 35 hours per week, at least one year), encouraging not just hiring but actual job retention for veterans.
Offers higher financial incentives (up to $15,000) for hiring disabled veterans, recognizing the additional employment challenges faced by this group and promoting their workforce inclusion.
Protects against misuse by prohibiting municipalities from replacing current employees just to obtain the grant, ensuring that the program results in net job creation rather than workforce churn.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Grants for Hiring Veterans
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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
4902
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 29, 2019
Introduced by Sens. RANZENHOFER, ADDABBO, AKSHAR, CARLUCCI, GALLIVAN, LITTLE, RITCHIE, SERINO, SEWARD -- 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 executive law, in relation to establishing the hire a vet grant program; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 369-f to read as follows:
§ 369-f. Hire a vet grant. 1. Allowance of grant. A municipality shall be allowed a grant equivalent to the credit provided to eligible taxpayers in the "hire a vet credit" as established in subdivision twenty-nine of section 210-B of the tax law, where such municipality hires and employs, for not less than one year and for not less than thirty-five hours each week, a qualified veteran within the state. The municipality may claim the grant in the year in which the qualified veteran completes one year of employment with the municipality.
2. Qualified veteran. A qualified veteran is an individual:
(a) who served on active duty in the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard or the reserves thereof, or who served in active military service of the United States as a member of the army national guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia; who was released from active duty by general or honorable discharge after September eleventh, two thousand one;
(b) who commences employment with the municipality on or after January first, two thousand nineteen; and
(c) who certifies by signed affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that he or she has not been employed for thirty-five or more hours during any
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03933-02-9
S. 4902 2
week in the one hundred eighty day period immediately prior to his or her employment by the municipality.
3. Prohibition. A municipality shall not discharge an employee and hire a qualifying veteran solely for the purpose of qualifying for this grant.
4. Amount of grant. The amount of the grant shall be ten percent of the total amount of wages paid to the qualified veteran during the veteran's first full year of employment. Provided, however, that, if the qualified veteran is a disabled veteran, as defined in paragraph (b) of subdivision one of section eighty-five of the civil service law, the amount of the grant shall be fifteen percent of the total amount of wages paid to the qualified veteran during the veteran's first full year of employment. The grant allowed pursuant to this subdivision shall not exceed in any year, five thousand dollars for any qualified veteran and fifteen thousand dollars for any qualified veteran who is a disabled veteran.
5. Definitions. For purposes of this section, "municipality" means any county, city, town, village or school district.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed January 1, 2024.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the hire a vet grant program; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose
OF THE BILL:
To encourage public employers to hire veterans.
Summary of specific provisions
§ 1- Amends Article 17-A of the Executive Law to add a new section 369-f which would provide for grants to municipalities equal to the credit provided to eligible taxpayers in the "hire a vet credit" established in subdivision twenty-nine of section 210-B of the Tax Law. The section identifies qualified veterans, sets forth certain restrictions and spec- ifies the amount of the grant available. Grants would range from $5,000 to $15,000 for a disabled veteran. The specifications for the grants mirror the provisions set forth in the hire a vet tax credit.
§ 2- Effective date.
Justification
New York State has long recognized the sacrifices made by veterans in the service of their country. This recognition takes many forms, includ- ing extra recognition on civil service exams and pension provisions. This bill would add an additional incentive to municipalities to hire veterans, much like the hire a vet tax credit encourages private busi- nesses to hire veterans, by offering grants to municipalities when they hire a veteran. The amount of the grants is similar to the amount of tax credits a private business could receive, and the prerequisites for the grants are similar to the prerequisites for the tax credits.
Prior legislative history
2015-2016: S.6462-A/A.9409-A - PASSED SENATE/Veterans 2017: 5.3879/A.4325 - PASSED SENATE/Veterans 2018: S.3879-B/A.4325-B - PASSED SENATE/Ways & Means
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed January 1, 2024.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.