New York Assembly Bill A00572

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/29/25
• Refer: 1/7/26
• Refer: 1/30/26

Caption

Relates to veterans' preferences with respect to civil service promotions; removes requirement of service during a time of war for additional points on civil service examinations for veterans.

Summary

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to New York’s civil service provisions to expand veterans’ preference in hiring and promotion. Under current law, additional civil service exam points are tied to military service in time of war. The bill removes that wartime-service limitation, so an honorably discharged veteran or qualifying service member who is a lawful permanent resident and New York resident could receive preference points regardless of whether the service occurred during a war. The measure preserves the existing point structure for civil service examinations: five points for original appointment and two and one-half points for promotion, or ten points and five points respectively for a service-connected disability certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It also keeps the rule that the credit is applied only after the candidate qualifies on the exam and when eligible lists are established, and it continues to limit repeated use of the preference after an appointment or promotion, with a partial exception for later disability.

Impact

If adopted, the amendment would change the New York Constitution’s civil service merit-and-fitness framework by broadening eligibility for veterans’ preference points in state and local civil service appointments and promotions. It would affect public employers across the state, including cities and villages, and would expand the pool of veterans who can receive exam credits for employment and advancement in public service. Because this is a constitutional amendment, it would require approval through the legislative process and voter ratification before taking effect.

Sentiment

The bill’s framing suggests generally favorable treatment of veterans and military service members, with the policy goal of expanding access to civil service opportunities. The available context does not include committee debate or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or support from legislators in the materials provided. Based on the text alone, the proposal appears intended as a pro-veteran measure that modernizes an older wartime-service requirement.

Contention

The main policy issue is the removal of the wartime-service requirement, which may be viewed by supporters as an overdue expansion of veterans’ benefits and by critics as a broadening of preference beyond the traditional wartime context. Another possible point of contention is the continued use of preference points in civil service hiring and promotion, since such preferences can raise merit-system concerns for those who favor strictly exam-based selection. The bill also makes technical updates to gendered and immigration-related language, but the central substantive dispute is whether all honorably discharged veterans should receive the same civil service credit regardless of wartime service.