The Empire State Plaza in Albany. Photo: Marcela from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Gov. Kathy Hochul marked Veterans Day by signing six bills that change how New York veterans qualify for property tax breaks, accessible license plates and other benefits, and that let deployed service members renew their car registrations early.
The package was announced Wednesday as the state lit 17 landmarks green for Operation Green Light, including several in Albany: the Empire State Plaza, the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, the State Education Building, the SUNY headquarters building on Broadway and the gateway at Albany International Airport. The Lincoln Bathhouse at Saratoga Spa State Park was also on the list, according to the governor’s office.
What the six bills do
Home modification fees. Local governments can now waive or reduce permit and other fees for home improvements a veteran needs because of a service-connected disability (A10921A/S10398A). Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee chair Steve Stern sponsored it in the Assembly and Sen. Monica Martinez in the Senate.
Accessible license plates. Veterans with a 100% disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs can use that rating to qualify for plates with the universal symbol of access (A9351A/S8571A).
Early registration renewal. Service members whose vehicle registration would expire while they are deployed or on other official duty can renew early (A11233A/S9806A). Sen. Chris Ryan and Assemblymember William Magnarelli carried both of the motor vehicle bills.
Gulf War dates. One bill clarifies the time period of the Persian Gulf conflict used to decide who qualifies for veterans’ property tax exemptions (A3450A/S3194A), sponsored in the Senate by James Skoufis.
Proof of combat service. Another widens the kinds of records veterans can use to claim the extra exemption for combat-zone service, adding discharge papers, military awards and records of hazardous duty pay (A5578A/S1788A). Sen. Michelle Hinchey said the change was aimed at veterans of classified and submarine missions whose paperwork often doesn’t show where they served. She said she first heard about the problem from a constituent. Assemblymember Pamela Hunter, a veteran, carried the Assembly version.
Campus gyms and pools. The last bill allows free or discounted memberships for veterans with disabilities at SUNY and CUNY gyms and pools that are open to the public (A6001A/S7784A).
The state Department of Veterans’ Services also announced $150,000 in Veterans Outdoor Recreational Therapy grants, $25,000 apiece to six nonprofits, CBS6 reported.
What it means for local tax rolls
The two property tax bills matter most at the local level. Veterans’ exemptions in New York are applied by city, town and county assessors, so eligibility questions land at local assessment offices. Veterans in Albany County who think the new rules cover them can check with their town or city assessor or the state Department of Taxation and Finance guidance on veterans’ exemptions.
Green Light started here
Operation Green Light began in New York in 2021, a joint effort of the New York State Association of Counties, the state County Executives’ Association and county veteran service officers. It has since been picked up by the National Association of Counties.
The bill signings came the same day Albany held its 70th Veterans Day parade. The Times Union reported it was the first produced by Capital City Veterans, a nonprofit that Albany County District Attorney Lee Kindlon launched to organize and pay for the city’s veterans tributes and take some of the cost off City Hall. Retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Louis Mion served as grand marshal.
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