New York § 89-I - 89-IMilitary family relief fund

§ 89-I. 89-IMilitary family relief fund

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