§ 97-MMMM — Veterans remembrance and cemetery maintenance and operation fund

§ 97-mmmm. Veterans remembrance and cemetery maintenance and operation\nfund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the\ncommissioner of taxation and finance and the comptroller, a special fund\nto be known as the "veterans remembrance and cemetery maintenance and\noperation fund".\n 2. Such fund shall consist of all revenues received by the department\nof taxation and finance, pursuant to the provisions of sections two\nhundred-nine-H and six hundred twenty-seven-a of the tax law, and all\nother moneys appropriated, credited, or transferred thereto from any\nother fund or source pursuant to law. Nothing in this section shall\nprevent the state from soliciting and receiving grants, gifts or\nbequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in this section and\ndepositing them into the fund according to law.\n 2-a. On or before the first day of February each year, the\ncommissioner of the New York state department of veterans' services\nshall provide a written report to the temporary president of the senate,\nspeaker of the assembly, chair of the senate finance committee, chair of\nthe assembly ways and means committee, chair of the senate committee on\nveterans, homeland security and military affairs, chair of the assembly\nveterans' affairs committee, the state comptroller and the public. Such\nreport shall include how the monies of the fund were utilized during the\npreceding calendar year, and shall include:\n (i) the amount of money dispersed from the fund and the award process\nused for such disbursements;\n (ii) recipients of awards from the fund;\n (iii) the amount awarded to each;\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 3. On or before the first day of February of each calendar year, the\ncomptroller shall certify to the governor, the temporary president of\nthe senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate finance\ncommittee and the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, the\namount of money deposited in the veterans remembrance and cemetery\nmaintenance and operation fund during the preceding calendar year as the\nresult of revenue derived pursuant to sections two hundred nine-H and\nsix hundred twenty-seven-a of the tax law, and from all grants, gifts\nand bequests.\n 4. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only for the construction,\nestablishment, expansion, improvement, support, operation, maintenance\nand the provision of perpetual care of state veterans cemeteries. As\nused in this section, "the construction, establishment, expansion,\nimprovement, support, operation, maintenance and the provision of\nperpetual care of state veterans cemeteries" shall include, but not be\nlimited to:\n (a) The purchase, leasing or improvement of land for the purpose of\nthe construction, establishment, expansion, improvement, support,\noperation, maintenance and the provision of perpetual care of state\nveterans cemeteries;\n (b) The purchase, leasing, construction or improvement of buildings or\ninfrastructure for the purpose of the construction, establishment,\nexpansion, improvement, support, operation, maintenance and the\nprovision of perpetual care of state veterans cemeteries;\n (c) The purchase or leasing of equipment, tools, building materials,\nlandscaping materials, memorial headstones or markers, monuments,\ncolumbarium niches, mausoleums, crypts, flags, flag poles, or related\nremembrance or cemetery items for the construction, establishment,\nexpansion, improvement, support, operation, maintenance and the\nprovision of perpetual care of state veterans cemeteries;\n (d) The payment of salaries, wages, benefits, professional service\nfees, contract fees, association fees, or other charges necessary for\nthe construction, establishment, expansion, improvement, support,\noperation, maintenance and the provision of perpetual care of state\nveterans cemeteries; and/or\n (e) The purchase of any other item or service necessary for the\nconstruction, establishment, expansion, improvement, support, operation,\nmaintenance and the provision of perpetual care of a state veterans\ncemetery.\n 5. Moneys shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of\nthe comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner\nof the department of veterans' services.\n 6. Moneys in the veterans remembrance and cemetery maintenance and\noperation fund shall be kept separate and shall not be commingled with\nany other moneys in the custody of the commissioner of taxation and/or\nthe comptroller.\n