NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7716

Senate Bill S7716

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Establishes the emergency safe return of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from Israel or Palestine fund

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to finance
Oct 18, 2023	referred to rules

co-Sponsors

2023-S7716 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8171
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: State Finance Law
Laws Affected:: Add §97-bbbbb, St Fin L

2023-S7716 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the emergency safe return of U.S. citizens or permanent residents from Israel or Palestine fund to provide reimbursement to United States citizens or permanent residents who reside in the state of New York for expenses arising from leaving Israel or Palestine during or as a direct result of the conflict that started on October 7, 2023.

2023-S7716 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7716

SPONSOR: SALAZAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing a
fund to provide reimbursement to United States citizens or permanent
residents who reside in the state of New York for expenses arising from
leaving Israel or Palestine during or as a direct result of the conflict
that started on October 7, 2023

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Establishes an Emergency safe return of U.S. citizens or permanent resi-
dents from Israel or Palestine fund. The purpose is for New York State
to financially assist New Yorkers who need to evacuate from Israel or
Palestine during this crisis and to ensure that such individuals will be
able to be fully reimbursed for any expenses incurred in such evacu-
ation.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: This bill shall be known as the "emergency safe return of
U.S. citizens or permanent residents from Israel or Palestine fund act".

Section 2: Amends the state finance law is amended to add a new section
97- BBBBB to create an emergency safe return of U.S. citizens or perma-
nent residents from Israel or Palestine fund. The fund will be utilized
to ensure the safe return of U.S. citizens or permanent residents with
bona fide residency in the State of New York as reimbursement for other-
wise unreimbursed actual expenses incurred relating to travel out of
Israel or Palestine during or as a direct result of the conflict that
started on or about October 7, 2023, including for travel, lodging, lost
personal property, medical care, or other related expenses including any
reimbursement the individual was required to provide to the United
States for such travel related costs.

Section 3: Severability clause.

Section 4: Establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

On October 7, 2023, the newest chapter in the long-running conflicts in
Israel and Palestine erupted with new violence, leading rapidly to a
significant escalation of war with devastating impact on people in Isra-
el and in Palestine. Many US citizens or permanent residents were in
Israel or Palestine during this period and desired and needed for their
safety return to the United States as quickly as possible. All commer-
cial air traffic was halted. The US government arranged for charter
flights and/or ships to assist in helping US citizens or permanent resi-
dents leave Israel or Palestine and return to the US.  However, these
arrangements only provided transportation to locations nearby to Israel
or Palestine without any arrangements for lodging or for transportation
back to the US. Additionally, the US government program required indi-
viduals to agree to reimburse the US government for the cost of this
transportation.


The purpose and justification for this bill is for New York State to
financially assist New Yorkers who need to evacuate from Israel or
Palestine during this crisis and to ensure that such individuals will be
able to be fully reimbursed for any expenses incurred in such evacu-
ation.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S7716 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7716
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             October 18, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. SALAZAR, RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the state finance law, in  relation  to  establishing  a
   fund  to  provide reimbursement to United States citizens or permanent
   residents who reside in the state of New  York  for  expenses  arising
   from  leaving  Israel or Palestine during or as a direct result of the
   conflict that started on October 7, 2023
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "emergency safe return of U.S. citizens or permanent residents  from
 Israel or Palestine fund act".
   § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-bbbbb
 to read as follows:
   §  97-BBBBB. EMERGENCY SAFE RETURN OF U.S. CITIZENS OR PERMANENT RESI-
 DENTS FROM ISRAEL OR PALESTINE FUND. 1. THERE IS HEREBY  ESTABLISHED  IN
 THE JOINT CUSTODY OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER AND THE COMMISSIONER OF TAXA-
 TION AND FINANCE AN ACCOUNT OF THE MISCELLANEOUS SPECIAL REVENUE ACCOUNT
 TO  BE KNOWN AS THE "EMERGENCY SAFE RETURN OF U.S. CITIZENS OR PERMANENT
 RESIDENTS FROM ISRAEL OR PALESTINE FUND".
   2. MONEYS IN THE EMERGENCY SAFE RETURN OF U.S. CITIZENS  OR  PERMANENT
 RESIDENTS FROM ISRAEL OR PALESTINE FUND SHALL BE KEPT SEPARATE AND SHALL
 NOT  BE  COMMINGLED  WITH  ANY  OTHER MONEYS IN THE CUSTODY OF THE STATE
 COMPTROLLER AND THE COMMISSIONER OF TAXATION AND FINANCE.
   3. THE EMERGENCY SAFE RETURN OF U.S. CITIZENS OR  PERMANENT  RESIDENTS
 FROM  ISRAEL  OR PALESTINE FUND SHALL CONSIST OF MONEYS APPROPRIATED FOR
 THE PURPOSE OF SUCH ACCOUNT, MONEYS TRANSFERRED TO SUCH ACCOUNT PURSUANT
 TO LAW, CONTRIBUTIONS CONSISTING OF PROMISES OR GRANTS OF ANY  MONEY  OR
 PROPERTY  OF  ANY  KIND OR VALUE, OR ANY OTHER THING OF VALUE, INCLUDING
 GRANTS OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM ANY AGENCY OF  GOVERNMENT  AND
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13434-01-3
 S. 7716                             2

 
 MONEYS REQUIRED BY THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION OR ANY OTHER LAW TO BE
 PAID INTO OR CREDITED TO THIS ACCOUNT.
   4.  MONEYS  OF THE EMERGENCY SAFE RETURN OF U.S. CITIZENS OR PERMANENT
 RESIDENTS FROM ISRAEL OR PALESTINE FUND, WHEN ALLOCATED, SHALL BE AVAIL-
 ABLE, TO U.S. CITIZENS OR PERMANENT RESIDENTS WITH BONA  FIDE  RESIDENCY
 IN  THE  STATE  OF  NEW YORK AS REIMBURSEMENT FOR OTHERWISE UNREIMBURSED
 ACTUAL EXPENSES INCURRED RELATING TO TRAVEL OUT OF ISRAEL  OR  PALESTINE
 DURING  OR  AS  A DIRECT RESULT OF THE CONFLICT THAT STARTED ON OR ABOUT
 OCTOBER SEVENTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE, INCLUDING FOR TRAVEL,  LODG-
 ING,  LOST  PERSONAL  PROPERTY, MEDICAL CARE, OR OTHER RELATED EXPENSES,
 INCLUDING ANY REIMBURSEMENT THE INDIVIDUAL WAS REQUIRED  TO  PROVIDE  TO
 THE U.S. FOR SUCH TRAVEL RELATED COSTS.
   5. THE MONEYS, WHEN ALLOCATED, SHALL BE PAID OUT OF THE EMERGENCY SAFE
 RETURN  OF U.S. CITIZENS OR PERMANENT RESIDENTS FROM ISRAEL OR PALESTINE
 FUND, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF THIS SECTION, AND SUBJECT  TO  THE
 APPROVAL  OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE BUDGET, ON THE AUDIT AND WARRANT OF THE
 COMPTROLLER ON VOUCHERS CERTIFIED OR APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF  STATE
 OR HIS OR HER DESIGNEE.
   § 3. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi-
 sion,  section  or  part  of  this act shall be adjudged by any court of
 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment  shall  not  affect,
 impair,  or  invalidate  the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in
 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph,  subdivision,  section
 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
 the  legislature  that  this  act  would  have been enacted even if such
 invalid provisions had not been included herein.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S7716

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Sponsored By

Julia Salazar