§ 89-I — Military family relief fund

§ 89-i. Military family relief fund. 1. There is hereby established in\nthe joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance and the\ncomptroller, a special fund to be known as the "military family relief\nfund".\n 2. Such fund shall consist of all revenues received by the department\nof taxation and finance pursuant to the provisions of section two\nhundred nine-L and section six hundred thirty-f of the tax law and all\nother moneys appropriated, credited, or transferred thereto from any\nother fund or source pursuant to law. Nothing contained herein shall\nprevent the state from receiving grants, gifts, or bequests for the fund\nand depositing them into the fund according to law.\n 3. Monies of the fund shall be expended only for the aid of military\nfamilies. Such monies may be used to provide assistance to military\nfamilies for housing, clothing, food, medical services, utilities, or\nany other related necessity of daily living. The New York state director\nof veterans' affairs shall establish criteria for determining who is\neligible to receive assistance pursuant to this fund.\n 4. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of\nthe comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner\nof taxation and finance.\n 5. To the extent practicable, the New York state director of veterans'\naffairs shall ensure that all monies received are expended within one\ncalendar year from the date on which they are received.\n 6. On or before the first day of February each year, the comptroller\nshall certify to the governor, temporary president of the senate,\nspeaker of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee and chair\nof the assembly ways and means committee, the amount of money deposited\nin the military family relief fund during the preceding calendar year as\nthe result of revenue derived pursuant to sections two hundred nine-L\nand six hundred thirty-f of the tax law.\n 7. On or before the first day of February each year, the New York\nstate director of veterans' affairs shall provide a written report to\nthe temporary president of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of\nthe senate finance committee, chair of the assembly ways and means\ncommittee, chair of the senate committee on veterans, homeland security\nand military affairs, chair of the assembly veterans affairs committee,\nand the public. Such report shall include how the monies of the fund\nwere utilized during the preceding calendar year and shall include:\n (i) the amount of money dispersed from the fund;\n (ii) the recipients of awards from the fund;\n (iii) the amount awarded to each recipient;\n (iv) the purposes for which such awards were granted; and\n (v) a summary financial plan for such monies which shall include\nestimates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and\nsucceeding fiscal years, along with the actual results from the prior\nfiscal year.\n