STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1765 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in relation to allowing persons who are permanently disabled and require the use of a wheelchair to have free use of any of the public camp- sites, parks and other public places of recreation in this state The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 13.19 of the parks, recreation and 2 historic preservation law, as amended by chapter 103 of the laws of 3 2024, is amended to read as follows: 4 2. For the purposes of this section (a) "veteran" shall mean a resi- 5 dent of this state who is: (i) a veteran as such term is defined in 6 section one of the veterans' services law; or (ii) a person who has 7 served on active duty for the state as a member of the state organized 8 militia as defined in subdivision nine of section one of the military 9 law and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other 10 than dishonorable; or (iii) a person who has served on active duty in 11 the uniformed services of the United States or on active duty for the 12 state as a member of the organized militia and has a qualifying condi- 13 tion, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has 14 received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such 15 service, or is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of 16 the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad 17 conduct or dishonorable from such service; [and] 18 (b) "member of a Gold Star family" shall mean a resident of this state 19 who is a gold star parent as defined in section twenty-six of the veter- 20 ans' services law, the spouse or domestic partner, or the biological, 21 step, or legally adopted minor child of a veteran whose death qualified 22 the parent for an annuity[.]; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04713-01-5
A. 1765 2 1 (c) "non-ambulatory" shall mean a person who is permanently disa- 2 bled and requires the use of a wheelchair to access park facilities or 3 is unable to move about in a field, wood, or other natural area without 4 mechanical assistance. 5 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.