S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3120
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 23, 2025
                                ___________
 
 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]
 THEIR  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]  SUCH APPLICANT 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 MILITARY RESERVIST A DD FORM 256 AND A NOTIFICATION OF ELIGI-
 BILITY 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,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06966-01-5
              

 S. 3120                             2
 
 the  commissioner  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] THEIR 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] SUCH APPLICANT 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 MILITARY 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  issu-
 ance  of  such identification cards or renewals thereof to persons under
 twenty-one years of age which are different from the fees  required  for
 the  issuance  of  identification  cards  or renewals thereof to persons
 twenty-one years of age or over, nor fees to persons requesting a veter-
 an distinguishing mark which are different from fees that  would  other-
 wise 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  iden-
 tification  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.