What's happening
The bill establishes the veterans' memorials preservation act, requiring public entities to preserve, maintain, and allow access to veterans' memorials.
Why it matters
Limits government ability to alter or remove veterans’ memorials. The bill makes it significantly harder for state and local governments to change, relocate, or take down memorials dedicated to veterans, except when it is “reasonably necessary.” This could affect debates over memorials with contested histories or changing community values.
Expands what counts as a memorial. The definition of “memorial” is broad, including parks, fields, buildings, plaques, and even groves of trees. This means a wide range of public spaces and objects would be protected under the law, impacting future land use or redevelopment plans.
Requires ongoing maintenance and public access. Public entities are now legally responsible for keeping memorials in good condition and ensuring that the public can access them, which may require new funding, staffing, or maintenance priorities, especially for older or neglected sites.
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Who cares
State agencies and local governments
Those that created or received veterans’ memorials would have to maintain them reasonably and allow changes, relocation or access restrictions only when reasonably necessary.
School districts and public authorities
The bill’s preservation, maintenance and access requirements would also cover memorials they created or accepted as gifts.
Veterans and veterans’ organizations
The bill would protect public-entity memorials honoring service in the U.S. armed forces, state armed forces or New York National Guard against changes or destruction unless reasonably necessary.
Visitors to veterans’ memorials
Public entities could restrict access to covered memorials only when reasonably necessary.
Headline styles
Protect Veterans' Memorials Statewide
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
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.
Protect Veterans' Memorials
In Assembly Committee · Veterans' Affairs · Sponsor Brian Manktelow
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
212
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sen. HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
AN ACT establishing the veterans' memorials preservation act
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "veterans' memorials preservation act".
§ 2. Definitions. For the purposes of this act:
(a) a "memorial" is any park, monument, field, open land, grove of trees, building, structure, artwork, tablet, plaque, wall, or any other structure that has been donated to, or constructed by, a public entity as a memorial to veterans of any war, conflict, or police action engaged in by the armed forces of the United States, or any state of the United States, or the New York national guard.
(b) a "public entity" is any governmental body of any kind, including, but not limited to, the state, a city, town, village, borough, school district or public authority.
§ 3. Memorials shall be preserved and be open to the public. (a) Any public entity that has created or received a gift of a memorial shall not alter, destroy, reconfigure, adjust, change, modify or move such memorial, or cause or permit any person to commit such acts; provided, however, that such acts are permitted when reasonably necessary.
(b) Any public entity that has created a memorial or accepted a gift of a memorial shall maintain the memorial in a reasonable manner.
(c) A public entity shall not restrict access to a memorial except as reasonably necessary.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00571-01-5
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act establishing the veterans' memorials preservation act
Purpose
This bill seeks to provide statutory protection for veterans' memorials throughout New York State.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Cites the title of act to be known as the "Veterans' Memo- rials Preservation Act"
Section 2: (a) provides the definition for a memorial; (b) provides the definition for a public entity.
Section 3: States that memorials shall be preserved and open to the public
Section 4: Establishes effective date.
Justification
Currently there are no laws protecting veterans' memorials in New York State. This omission has resulted in many veterans' memorials being destroyed for short sighted and selfish reasons by persons with abject disregard for the sacrifices of our veterans and the importance memo- rials serve to preserve our history and our legacy of freedom.
This legislation would protect veterans' memorials, so that as time goes by they would not be wantonly destroyed, deconstructed, desecrated, altered, or moved. As a result, this legislation would also help to guarantee that the valuable purpose veterans memorials serve in our society would not be diminished.
It would further provide for the preservation of the military history of New York State and the United States of America and insure that future generations understand the significance of what our veterans did to preserve the democracy and the freedoms we have today.
Legislative history
2023-2024: S.4525 referred to Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs/A.3658 referred to Veterans' Affairs
2021-2022: S.1322 referred to Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs/A.4414 held for consideration in Veterans' Affairs
2019-2020: S.158 referred to Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs/ A.7884 held for consideration in Veterans' Affairs
2018: S.7870 Passed Senate
2017: S.1111 Passed Senate
2016: S.4580 referred to Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.