Assembly Bill A5159

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5159
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 12, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. CHANG -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Governmental Employees
 
 AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to  waiving  applica-
   tion fees for individuals who certify they are unemployed
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of  the  civil
 service  law,  as  amended  by section 1 of part EE of chapter 55 of the
 laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
   (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of  this  subdivi-
 sion, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the
 director  of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the approval
 of the governing board or body of the city or county, as  the  case  may
 be,  or  a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to govern-
 mental agreement, may elect to waive application  fees,  or  to  abolish
 fees  for  specific  classes  of  positions  or types of examinations or
 candidates, or to  establish  a  uniform  schedule  of  reasonable  fees
 different  from  those  prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision,
 specifying in such schedule the classes of positions or types  of  exam-
 inations  or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided, howev-
 er, that fees shall be waived for candidates who certify  to  the  state
 civil  service  department, a municipal commission or a regional commis-
 sion that they are unemployed [and primarily responsible for the support
 of a household, or are receiving public assistance].  Provided  further,
 the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee
 for  examinations  for  original  appointment for all veterans. Provided
 further, the state civil  service  department  shall,  and  a  municipal
 commission  may,  subject to the approval of the governing board or body
 of the city or county, as the case may be, or a regional  commission  or
 personnel officer, pursuant to governmental agreement, waive application
 fees  for all examinations held between July first, two thousand twenty-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07652-01-5
              

 A. 5159                             2
 
 three and December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five. Notwithstand-
 ing any other provision of law, for purposes of this section,  the  term
 "veteran"  shall mean a person who has served in the armed forces of the
 United  States  or  the reserves thereof, or in the army national guard,
 air national guard, New York guard, or the New York naval  militia,  and
 who  (1)  has  been  honorably  discharged or released from such service
 under honorable conditions,  or  (2)  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
 (3) 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. The term "armed forces" shall
 mean the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and coast guard.
   § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of the civil service
 law, as amended by section 35 of part PP of chapter 56 of  the  laws  of
 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   (b)  Notwithstanding  the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
 sion, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the
 director of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the  approval
 of  the  governing  board or body of the city or county, as the case may
 be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant  to  govern-
 mental  agreement,  may  elect  to waive application fees, or to abolish
 fees for specific classes of  positions  or  types  of  examinations  or
 candidates,  or  to  establish  a  uniform  schedule  of reasonable fees
 different from those prescribed in paragraph (a)  of  this  subdivision,
 specifying  in  such schedule the classes of positions or types of exam-
 inations or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided,  howev-
 er,  that  fees  shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state
 civil service department, a municipal commission or a  regional  commis-
 sion that they are unemployed [and primarily responsible for the support
 of  a  household, or are receiving public assistance]. Provided further,
 the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee
 for examinations for original appointment  for  all  veterans.  Notwith-
 standing  any  other provision of law, for purposes of this section, the
 term "veteran" shall mean a person who has served in the armed forces of
 the United States or the reserves  thereof,  or  in  the  army  national
 guard,  air  national guard, New York guard, or the New York naval mili-
 tia, and who (1) has been honorably discharged  or  released  from  such
 service  under  honorable conditions, or (2) 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 (3) 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. The term  "armed  forces"
 shall mean the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and coast guard.
   §  3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend-
 ments to paragraph (b) of subdivision 5  of  section  50  of  the  civil
 service  law  made  by  section  one of this act shall be subject to the
 expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to section 2 of part
 EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2023, as amended, when  upon  such  date
 the provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.