Legislation

* § 99-tt. Veterans' services fund. 1. There is hereby established in
the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance, the
commissioner of veterans' services, and the comptroller, a special fund
to be known as the "veterans' services fund".

2. Such fund shall consist of all civil penalties imposed pursuant to
section three hundred forty-nine-f of the general business law, any
additional moneys appropriated, credited or transferred to such fund by
the legislature, and the amounts of moneys received and deposited into
the fund from grants, gifts and bequests during the preceding calendar
year, as certified by the comptroller. Nothing in this section shall
prevent the state from soliciting and receiving grants, gifts or
bequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in this section and
depositing them into the fund according to law. Any interest earned by
the investment of moneys in such fund shall be added to such fund,
become part of such fund, and be used for the purposes of such fund.

3. On or before the first day of February each year, the commissioner
of veterans' services shall provide a written report to the temporary
president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the senate
finance committee, chair of the assembly ways and means committee, chair
of the senate committee on veterans, homeland security and military
affairs, chair of the assembly veterans' affairs committee, the state
comptroller and the public. Such report shall include how the moneys of
the fund were utilized during the preceding calendar year, and shall
include:

(a) the amount of money dispersed from the fund and the award process
used for such disbursements;

(b) recipients of awards from the fund;

(c) the amount awarded to each;

(d) the purposes for which such awards were granted; and

(e) a summary financial plan for such moneys which shall include
estimates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and
succeeding fiscal years, along with the actual results from the prior
fiscal year.

4. On or before the first day of February of each calendar year, the
comptroller shall certify to the governor, the temporary president of
the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate finance
committee and the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, the
amount of money deposited in the veterans' services fund during the
preceding calendar year as the result of revenue derived pursuant to
section three hundred forty-nine-f of the general business law, and from
all grants, gifts and bequests.

5. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only for the award of grants
to veterans' service organizations certified by the United States
department of veterans affairs to assist claimants in the preparation,
presentation, and prosecution of claims for United States department of
veterans affairs benefits, as determined by the department of veterans'
services.

6. Moneys shall be paid out of the fund on the audit and warrant of
the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner
of veterans' services. Any interest received by the comptroller on
moneys on deposit in the veterans' services fund shall be retained in
and become part of such fund.

* NB Effective May 4, 2026