Senate Bill S9099A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  9099--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 3, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. BASKIN, SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Veter-
   ans,  Homeland  Security and Military Affairs -- committee discharged,
   bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
   committee
 
 AN  ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to establishing
   the veterans' services organization capital support program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The veterans' services law is amended by adding a new arti-
 cle 4 to read as follows:
                                  ARTICLE 4
          VETERANS' SERVICES ORGANIZATION CAPITAL SUPPORT PROGRAM
 SECTION 50. DEFINITIONS.
         51. ESTABLISHMENT AND CRITERIA.
         52. ELIGIBLE PURPOSES.
   §  50. DEFINITIONS. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE "ELIGIBLE ENTITY"
 MEANS A VETERAN SERVICE ORGANIZATION AS DEFINED  PURSUANT  TO  TITLE  38
 U.S.  CODE  SECTION  5902 AND THAT ALSO IS ORGANIZED AS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT
 ORGANIZATION PURSUANT TO THE TITLE 26 U.S. CODE  SECTION  501(C),  WHICH
 MAY INCLUDE BUT SHALL NOT BE LIMITED TO THE AMERICAN LEGION, VETERANS OF
 FOREIGN WARS, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA,
 AMERICAN VETERANS AND VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA.
   §  51.  ESTABLISHMENT  AND  CRITERIA.  THERE IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED THE
 VETERANS' SERVICES ORGANIZATION CAPITAL SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR THE ELIGIBLE
 PURPOSES UNDER SECTION FIFTY-TWO OF THIS ARTICLE. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL
 DEVELOP CRITERIA FOR THE DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS AUTHORIZED UNDER  SECTION
 FIFTY-TWO OF THIS ARTICLE TO AN ELIGIBLE ENTITY.
   §  52.  ELIGIBLE  PURPOSES.  WITHIN  AMOUNTS SPECIFICALLY APPROPRIATED
 THEREFORE, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL AWARD GRANTS NOT TO EXCEED TWO HUNDRED
 THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR PAYMENT  OF  THE  CAPITAL  COSTS  OF  CONSTRUCTION,
 IMPROVEMENT,  REPAIRS,  REHABILITATION,  OR RECONSTRUCTION OF FACILITIES
 OWNED BY ELIGIBLE ENTITIES PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE, AND FOR THE  ACQUI-
 SITION  OF  RELATED  EQUIPMENT  WITH  A USEFUL LIFE OF NOT LESS THAN TEN
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14707-02-6
 S. 9099--A                          2
 
 YEARS. SUCH CAPITAL COSTS MAY INCLUDE, BUT  SHALL  NOT  BE  LIMITED  TO,
 ENGINEERING AND DESIGN COSTS.  UPON SUBMISSION OF A COST ESTIMATE BY THE
 CONTRACTOR  AND  SIGNED  BY  THE  ELIGIBLE ENTITY, AND PROVIDED THAT THE
 ELIGIBLE  ENTITY  BE THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY OR HAVE A LEASE AGREEMENT
 PROVING TENANT STATUS DATING BACK  AT  LEAST  FIVE  YEARS  OR  MORE  AND
 APPROVED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT, THE COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED TO PROVIDE
 TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF AN AWARDED GRANT UP FRONT TO THE ELIGIBLE ENTITY,
 WITHOUT ANY REIMBURSEMENT REQUIREMENT. NO FUNDS  AUTHORIZED  UNDER  THIS
 SECTION SHALL BE USED AS A REQUIRED MATCH OR BE CONSIDERED A LOCAL SHARE
 TO OTHER STATE PROGRAMS OR TO LEVERAGE STATE AID OR GRANTS.
   § 2. 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.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.