S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1585
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 12, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic  law,  in  relation  to  special
   designation for veterans on driver's licenses
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a-1) of subdivision 1  of  section  504  of  the
 vehicle  and traffic law, as amended by section 98 of part PP of chapter
 56 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   (a-1) Every license or renewal thereof issued to an applicant who  was
 a  member  of the armed forces of the United States and who (i) received
 an honorable discharge or was released therefrom under honorable  condi-
 tions,  or (ii) has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of
 the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than  bad
 conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a discharged LGBT
 veteran,  as  defined  in section one of the veterans' services law, and
 has received a discharge other than bad  conduct  or  dishonorable  from
 such  service,  OR  (IV)  WAS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL GUARD OR MILITARY
 RESERVES WHO SERVED AT LEAST  TWENTY  YEARS,  shall,  upon  his  or  her
 request  and  submission of proof as set forth herein, contain a distin-
 guishing mark, in such form as the commissioner shall  determine,  indi-
 cating  that  he  or  she  is  a  veteran. Such proof shall consist of a
 certificate of release or discharge from active duty including  but  not
 limited  to  a DD Form 214, OR IN THE CASE OF A NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER AN
 NGB22 FORM INDICATING TWENTY YEARS OF SERVICE, OR IN THE CASE OF A MILI-
 TARY RESERVIST A DD FORM 256  AND  A  NOTIFICATION  OF  ELIGIBILITY  FOR
 RETIRED PAY LETTER, or other proof satisfactory to the commissioner. The
 commissioner shall not require fees for the issuance of such licenses or
 renewals  thereof  to  persons  requesting a veteran distinguishing mark
 which are different from fees  otherwise  required;  provided,  however,
 that  notwithstanding  the  provisions of this section, the commissioner
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05198-01-3
              

 S. 1585                             2
 
 shall not require fees for a duplication or amendment of a license prior
 to its renewal if such duplication  or  amendment  was  solely  for  the
 purpose of adding a veteran distinguishing mark to such license.
   §  2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 3 of section 490 of the vehicle and
 traffic law, as amended by section 97 of part PP of chapter  56  of  the
 laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   (b)  The  identification card shall contain a distinguishing number or
 mark and adequate space upon which an anatomical gift, pursuant to arti-
 cle forty-three of the public health law, by the holder may be  recorded
 and  shall  contain  such  other information and shall be issued in such
 form as the commissioner shall determine; provided, however, every iden-
 tification card or renewal thereof issued to a person under the  age  of
 twenty-one  years shall have prominently imprinted thereon the statement
 "UNDER 21  YEARS  OF  AGE"  in  notably  distinctive  print  or  format.
 Provided,  further, however, that every identification card issued to an
 applicant who was a member of the armed forces of the United States  and
 (i)  received  an  honorable  discharge  or was released therefrom under
 honorable conditions, or (ii) has a qualifying condition, as defined  in
 section  one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge
 other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (iii) is  a
 discharged  LGBT  veteran,  as  defined  in section one of the veterans'
 services law, and has received a discharge other  than  bad  conduct  or
 dishonorable  from  such  service,  OR (IV) WAS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL
 GUARD OR MILITARY RESERVES WHO SERVED AT LEAST TWENTY YEARS, shall, upon
 his or her request and submission of proof as set forth herein,  contain
 a distinguishing mark, in such form as the commissioner shall determine,
 indicating  that  he  or she is a veteran. Such proof shall consist of a
 certificate of release or discharge from active duty including  but  not
 limited  to  a DD Form 214, OR IN THE CASE OF A NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER AN
 NGB22 FORM INDICATING TWENTY YEARS OF SERVICE, OR IN THE CASE OF A MILI-
 TARY RESERVIST A DD FORM 256  AND  A  NOTIFICATION  OF  ELIGIBILITY  FOR
 RETIRED PAY LETTER, or other proof satisfactory to the commissioner. The
 commissioner shall not require fees for the issuance of such identifica-
 tion  cards or renewals thereof to persons under twenty-one years of age
 which are different from the fees required for the issuance of identifi-
 cation cards or renewals thereof to persons twenty-one years of  age  or
 over, nor fees to persons requesting a veteran distinguishing mark which
 are  different  from  fees  that  would otherwise be required. Provided,
 however, that notwithstanding the provisions  of  section  four  hundred
 ninety-one  of this article, the commissioner shall not require any fees
 for the duplication or amendment of an identification card prior to  its
 renewal  if  such duplication or amendment was solely for the purpose of
 adding a veteran distinguishing mark to such identification card.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law; provided that if part PP of chapter 56 of the laws of
 2022  shall  not  yet have taken effect on or before such effective date
 then this act shall take effect on the same date that such  part,  takes
 effect.