S2640: Includes veterans in the definition of military status for purposes of unlawful discrimination

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Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Same as A9674, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Amends the Executive Law.

Committee

Governmental Operations · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Investigations And Government Operations · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

To clarify that protections against discrimination based on military status includes status as a veteran.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMar 23, 2026Result: passed
(60) (0) (0) (3)
Vote: Committee vote · Investigations And Government Operations
Senate Investigations And Government OperationsFeb 10, 2026Result: passed
(7) (0) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateJun 10, 2025Result: passed
(58) (0) (0) (5)
Vote: Committee vote · Investigations And Government Operations
Senate Investigations And Government OperationsMay 28, 2025Result: passed
(7) (0) (0) (0)

Cosponsors

Christopher Ryan, Dean Murray and 19 more on Agora

Democratic12
Republican9

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Nathalia Fernandez says this is needed

New York is home to 1.2 million veterans, making it one of six states with over 1 million veterans. Veterans face unique challenges when tran- sitioning back into civilian life, including difficulties related to obtaining housing, demonstrating eligibility for public benefits such as disability benefits, and child support issues. Impoverished veterans struggle to afford stable housing and are at a greater risk of homelessness than non-veterans, which can lead to family issues. For non-custodial veteran parents, child support debt can be a barrier to securing housing and employment. According to a report from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, there are between 20,000 and 29,999 veterans in the caseload in New York alone. Current Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination based on military status. However, many veterans continue to face discrimination when they come home. This bill clarifies the definition of "military status" in the executive law to explicitly include veterans released from military service to ensure that they are continued to be protected from discrimi- nation when they have finished serving their term.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

Mar 23, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Mar 23, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Mar 23, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
Feb 24, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Feb 11, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate

Show full history (14 earlier events)

Feb 10, 2026
1ST Report CAL.343
1ST REPORT CAL.343
NY Senate
Jan 21, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
NY Senate
Dec 8, 2025
Enacting Clause Stricken
ENACTING CLAUSE STRICKEN
NY Assembly
Jun 10, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Jun 10, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Jun 10, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
Jun 4, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
May 29, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
May 28, 2025
1ST Report CAL.1435
1ST REPORT CAL.1435
NY Senate
Jan 28, 2025
Amend (t) and Recommit to Governmental Operations
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly
Jan 22, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
NY Senate
Jan 8, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
NY Assembly

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Cosponsors: The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Party colors: Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 3, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.