Assembly BillIntroduced
A 5253: Establishes the "Vets to Vollies" program which encourages veterans or discharged military personnel to join their local fire department and emergency medical service agency.
What A 5253 does, verified January 9, 2026
The bill aims to create a statewide program called "Vets to Vollies" that encourages veterans and discharged military personnel to join their local fire departments or emergency medical service agencies. The program will collaborate with county agencies to conduct outreach programs in the local community, providing information on available benefits and resources for prospective volunteer first responders. The goal is to increase the number of veterans and military personnel volunteering in local emergency services.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to veterans' affairs (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 5253
- What is the current status of A 5253?
- As of January 9, 2026, A 5253 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to veterans' affairs".
- Did A 5253 pass?
- Not yet. A 5253 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 5253, and where is it now?
- A 5253 was authored by Asm. Michael Durso with 5 coauthors. Its committee of record is Assembly Veterans' Affairs.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions4 total · showing 4
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to veterans' affairs |
| Apr. 28, 2025 | amend and recommit to veterans' affairs |
| Apr. 28, 2025 | print number 5253a |
| Feb. 12, 2025 | referred to veterans' affairs |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 12, 2025 · 246 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5253 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 12, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. DURSO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to establishing the "Vets to Vollies" program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The veterans' services law is amended by adding a new 2 section 29-c to read as follows: 3 § 29-c. Vets to vollies. 1. The department shall create a statewide 4 vets to vollies program for counties that wish to participate in such 5 program. The purpose of such program is to encourage veterans or 6 discharged military personnel to join their local fire department or 7 emergency medical service agency. 8 2. Such program shall collaborate and coordinate with all applicable 9 county agencies to conduct extensive outreach programs within the local 10 community, including but not limited to, active military installations 11 and local veteran service organizations. Such outreach programs shall 12 include information on the many benefits and resources available to 13 prospective volunteer first responders on a local and statewide level 14 and how to further become involved. 15 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00883-01-5
Text of A 5253 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions