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S5112Senate2019-2020 SessionSame asA7296

Name Bridge for War Hero

Official title

“Designates a portion of the state highway system as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge"”

Sponsor Kenneth P. LaValleSD-1Affects Finance
Status
Signed by Governor
Impact
1/10
Minimal
Outcome
Signed into law

Bill progress

Signed into law

What's happening

This bill designates the Yaphank Avenue bridge over the Long Island Expressway in Brookhaven as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge."

Why it matters

  1. Honors a fallen service member. Naming the bridge after SSgt Louis Bonacasa serves as a public tribute to a local hero, reinforcing community recognition of military sacrifice and potentially fostering a sense of local pride and remembrance.

  2. Ceremonial rather than official change. The bill specifies that the designation is "ceremonial" and does not alter the bridge’s official name in state records, which helps avoid administrative complexities and confusion for mapping, emergency services, and commerce.

  3. Visible public commemoration. The Department of Transportation will be required to install and maintain signage, ensuring that the memorial is visible to the public and passersby, which may encourage education about SSgt Bonacasa and awareness of his service.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Name Bridge for War Hero

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Kenneth P. LaValle

Senator · Senate District 1

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Signed chap.159
  2. Delivered to governor
  3. Returned to senate
  4. Passed assembly
  5. Ordered to third reading rules cal.390
  6. Substituted for A7296A
  7. Referred to ways and means
  8. Delivered to assembly
  9. Passed senateVote 62–0
  10. Advanced to third reading
  11. 2nd report cal.
  12. Amended (t) 5112a
Show 2 earlier actions
  1. 1st report cal.1078
  2. 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.

A7296Assembly

Name Bridge for Local Hero

Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Joe DeStefano

Impact 1 · Minimal0% to pass

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

5112--A Cal. No. 1078

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

April 9, 2019

Introduced by Sen. LAVALLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first report, amended on first report, ordered to a second report and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of second report

AN ACT to amend the highway law, in relation to designating a portion of the state highway system as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge"

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. The highway law is amended by adding a new section 344-i to read as follows:

§ 344-i. Portion of the state highway system to be designated as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge". The bridge on Yaphank Avenue, between the northbound and southbound service roads, crossing the Long Island expressway, within the town of Brookhaven, county of Suffolk, shall be designated and known as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge".

§ 2. The commissioner of transportation shall provide for the installation and maintenance of adequate signing of the state highway system as designated pursuant to section one of this act. However, to avoid confusion and to limit any possible disruption of commerce, the designation called for pursuant to section one of this act shall be one of ceremonial nature and the official name of such bridge shall not be changed as a result of this act.

§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD08728-07-9

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 desig- nating a portion of the state highway system as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge"

Purpose

To designate a portion of the state highway system as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge".

Summary of provisions

Portion of the state highway system to be designated as the "SSgt Louis Bonacasa Memorial Bridge". The bridge on Yaphank Avenue, between the northbound and southbound service roads, crossing the Long Island Expressway, within the town of Brookhaven, county of Suffolk, shall be designated as the "SSgt Louis Boncasa Memorial Bridge".

Justification

U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Louis Bonacasa, age 31, of Suffolk County was killed in a suicide attack while on patrol near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in December 2015. He was an Air National Guardsman deployed abroad on active duty. He left behind his wife of 11 years, Deborah and a young daughter Lily. SSgt Bonacasa enlisted in the Air Force two days after graduating from Newfield High School in Selden in 2002. He had previously served in Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Dedicating this bridge in the name of SSgt Bonacasa is but one small way to honor the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of this American hero.

Legislative history

New bill.

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.