S 3120: Relates to proof required for application of the distinguishing mark on veterans driver's licenses and non-driver IDs; conforms to federal law including National Guard members and reservists with 20 years of service as veterans.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3120 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE 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: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (a-1) of subdivision 1 of section 504 of the 2 vehicle and traffic law, as amended by section 98 of part PP of chapter 3 56 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 4 (a-1) Every license or renewal thereof issued to an applicant who was 5 a member of the armed forces of the United States and who (i) received 6 an honorable discharge or was released therefrom under honorable condi- 7 tions, or (ii) has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of 8 the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad 9 conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a discharged LGBT 10 veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and 11 has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from 12 such service, or (iv) was a member of the National Guard or military 13 reserves who served at least twenty years, shall, upon [his or her] 14 their request and submission of proof as set forth herein, contain a 15 distinguishing mark, in such form as the commissioner shall determine, 16 indicating that [he or she] such applicant is a veteran. Such proof 17 shall consist of a certificate of release or discharge from active duty 18 including but not limited to a DD Form 214, or in the case of a National 19 Guard member an NGB22 Form indicating twenty years of service, or in the 20 case of a military reservist a DD Form 256 and a Notification of Eligi- 21 bility for Retired Pay letter, or other proof satisfactory to the 22 commissioner. The commissioner shall not require fees for the issuance 23 of such licenses or renewals thereof to persons requesting a veteran 24 distinguishing mark which are different from fees otherwise required; 25 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 1 the commissioner shall not require fees for a duplication or amendment 2 of a license prior to its renewal if such duplication or amendment was 3 solely for the purpose of adding a veteran distinguishing mark to such 4 license. 5 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 3 of section 490 of the vehicle and 6 traffic law, as amended by section 97 of part PP of chapter 56 of the 7 laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 8 (b) The identification card shall contain a distinguishing number or 9 mark and adequate space upon which an anatomical gift, pursuant to arti- 10 cle forty-three of the public health law, by the holder may be recorded 11 and shall contain such other information and shall be issued in such 12 form as the commissioner shall determine; provided, however, every iden- 13 tification card or renewal thereof issued to a person under the age of 14 twenty-one years shall have prominently imprinted thereon the statement 15 "UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE" in notably distinctive print or format. 16 Provided, further, however, that every identification card issued to an 17 applicant who was a member of the armed forces of the United States and 18 (i) received an honorable discharge or was released therefrom under 19 honorable conditions, or (ii) has a qualifying condition, as defined in 20 section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge 21 other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a 22 discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' 23 services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or 24 dishonorable from such service, or (iv) was a member of the National 25 Guard or military reserves who served at least twenty years, shall, upon 26 [his or her] their request and submission of proof as set forth herein, 27 contain a distinguishing mark, in such form as the commissioner shall 28 determine, indicating that [he or she] such applicant is a veteran. Such 29 proof shall consist of a certificate of release or discharge from active 30 duty including but not limited to a DD Form 214, or in the case of a 31 National Guard member an NGB22 Form indicating twenty years of service, 32 or in the case of a military reservist a DD Form 256 and a Notification 33 of Eligibility for Retired Pay letter, or other proof satisfactory to 34 the commissioner. The commissioner shall not require fees for the issu- 35 ance of such identification cards or renewals thereof to persons under 36 twenty-one years of age which are different from the fees required for 37 the issuance of identification cards or renewals thereof to persons 38 twenty-one years of age or over, nor fees to persons requesting a veter- 39 an distinguishing mark which are different from fees that would other- 40 wise be required. Provided, however, that notwithstanding the provisions 41 of section four hundred ninety-one of this article, the commissioner 42 shall not require any fees for the duplication or amendment of an iden- 43 tification card prior to its renewal if such duplication or amendment 44 was solely for the purpose of adding a veteran distinguishing mark to 45 such identification card. 46 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 47 have become a law.