New York Senate Bill S07784

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/6/25
• Refer: 5/6/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Requires that the state university of New York's board of trustees and the city university of New York's board of trustees shall each adopt a policy requiring all state university of New York, city university of New York, college, and community college campuses that offer membership programs to the general public for the use of fitness and aquatic facilities, to permit disabled veterans to obtain a membership for the use of fitness and aquatic facilities upon the same terms and conditions as apply to the general public, but without payment of any fees or other charges, or at a discounted rate; defines "disabled veteran".

Summary

This bill would require the boards of trustees of the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY) to adopt policies allowing disabled veterans to obtain memberships for fitness and aquatic facilities at campuses that offer such memberships to the general public. The memberships would be available on the same terms and conditions as those offered to the public, but without fees or other charges, or at a discounted rate. The bill defines a “disabled veteran” as a veteran certified by the U.S. veterans’ administration or a military department as entitled to disability payments for a service-incurred disability. The measure is aimed at expanding access to campus recreation and wellness facilities for disabled veterans at participating SUNY and CUNY colleges and community colleges. It would not require every campus to create a new membership program, but it would apply to campuses that already offer public memberships for fitness and aquatic use. The bill would take effect 60 days after becoming law.

Impact

The bill would add a new policy requirement for SUNY and CUNY boards of trustees, directing them to ensure that covered campuses provide free or discounted access to fitness and aquatic facility memberships for eligible disabled veterans. It would affect public higher education institutions that already sell memberships to the general public, and it would create a statewide standard for veteran access at those campuses. The bill does not amend a specific existing statute section, but it would impose an operational obligation on the university systems and their campuses.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, so the available context does not show formal debate or opposition. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears generally supportive of veterans and likely intended as a benefit expansion rather than a controversial policy change. The overall sentiment in the available materials is neutral-to-positive, with the bill framed as a targeted accommodation for disabled veterans.

Contention

The main policy issue is the cost and administrative burden on SUNY and CUNY campuses that offer public memberships, since the bill would require free access or discounted pricing for a defined class of veterans. Another possible point of contention is the scope of the benefit: it applies only to campuses that already have membership programs for the public, and only to veterans who can document disabled veteran status. No specific objections, amendments, or competing viewpoints are included in the provided record.