New York Senate Bill S02640

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/25
• Refer: 1/22/25
• Engrossed: 6/10/25
• Refer: 6/10/25
• Refer: 1/7/26
• Engrossed: 3/23/26
• Refer: 3/23/26

Caption

Includes veterans in the definition of military status to protect veterans from being unlawfully discriminated against.

Summary

S02640 amends New York’s Executive Law definition of “military status” for purposes of the state’s anti-discrimination protections. The bill adds people who have been released from military service—veterans—to the protected class, so that discrimination based on veteran status is treated the same way as discrimination based on current military service. The bill also retains the existing list of covered service categories, including the armed forces, National Guard, naval militia, New York Guard, Public Health Service commissioned officers, NOAA commissioned officers, Environmental Sciences Services Administration commissioned officers, cadets at federal service academies, and any additional forces created by law. In practical terms, the measure would expand the reach of the Human Rights Law provisions in the Executive Law to protect veterans in employment, housing, and other contexts where unlawful discrimination based on military status is prohibited. It does not create a new standalone veterans’ benefits program; rather, it broadens an existing civil rights definition so that former service members are explicitly covered after separation from service. The act takes effect immediately upon enactment. The available voting history shows strong and unanimous support in the Senate, with committee and floor votes passing 7-0 and 58-0 in one session, and again 6-0 and 58-0 in a later recorded sequence. That pattern suggests broad bipartisan agreement and little visible opposition in the legislative record provided. The bill’s caption also frames it as a straightforward anti-discrimination protection for veterans. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded debate identifying detailed objections or amendments. Based on the text and votes, any contention appears minimal; the main policy choice is simply whether to expressly include veterans within the existing “military status” category. Supporters would likely view the bill as closing a gap in civil rights protections, while any concerns would likely be limited to definitional scope rather than the underlying anti-discrimination principle.

Impact

The bill would amend subdivision 28 of section 292 of the Executive Law, expanding the statutory definition of “military status” to include persons who have been released from military service. This change would extend New York’s unlawful discrimination protections to veterans under the state Human Rights Law framework, affecting employers, landlords, and other covered entities subject to the law. It does not alter benefits eligibility or military service rules, but it does broaden the class of individuals protected from discrimination based on service history.

Sentiment

The legislative record indicates overwhelmingly positive sentiment toward the bill. Committee and floor votes were unanimous or near-unanimous, with no recorded dissent in the provided history. The bill appears to have been treated as a noncontroversial veterans’ civil rights measure, with broad support for explicitly protecting former service members from discrimination.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the materials provided. The only notable policy issue is the scope of the protected category: the bill extends “military status” beyond current service members to include veterans who have been released from service. Because no committee transcript is available and all recorded votes were unanimous, no organized opposition, amendment dispute, or partisan divide is apparent in the record.