New York § 99-TT - 99-TTVeterans' services fund

§ 99-TT. 99-TTVeterans' services fund

§ 99-tt. Veterans' services fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance, the commissioner of veterans' services, and the comptroller, a special fund to be known as the "veterans' services fund". 2. Such fund shall consist of all civil penalties imposed pursuant to section three hundred forty-nine-f of the general business law, any additional moneys appropriated, credited or transferred to such fund by the legislature, and the amounts of moneys received and deposited into the fund from grants, gifts and bequests during the preceding calendar year, as certified by the comptroller. Nothing in this section shall prevent the state from soliciting and receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into the fund according to law. Any interest earned by the investment of moneys in such fund shall be added to such fund, become part of such fund, and be used for the purposes of such fund. 3. On or before the first day of February each year, the commissioner of veterans' services 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, the state comptroller and the public. Such report shall include how the moneys of the fund were utilized during the preceding calendar year, and shall include: (a) the amount of money dispersed from the fund and the award process used for such disbursements; (b) recipients of awards from the fund; (c) the amount awarded to each; (d) the purposes for which such awards were granted; and (e) a summary financial plan for such moneys 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. 4. On or before the first day of February of each calendar year, the comptroller shall certify to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate finance committee and the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, the amount of money deposited in the veterans' services fund during the preceding calendar year as the result of revenue derived pursuant to section three hundred forty-nine-f of the general business law, and from all grants, gifts and bequests. 5. Moneys of the fund shall be expended only for the award of grants to veterans' service organizations certified by the United States department of veterans affairs to assist claimants in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for United States department of veterans affairs benefits, as determined by the department of veterans' services. 6. Moneys shall be paid out of the fund on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commissioner of veterans' services. Any interest received by the comptroller on moneys on deposit in the veterans' services fund shall be retained in and become part of such fund.