City Council Veterans Committee Chairman Eric Ulrich last week called all military service public service.
Photo By Michael V. Cusenza
Members of the City Council Veterans Committee last week sent a letter the leadership in the state Legislature urging it to override Gov. Cuomo’s veto of the New York State Military Buy-Back Reform Bill in the event of a special session.
Led by Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), chairman of the Veterans Committee, members Paul Vallone (D-Bayside), Fernando Cabrera (D-Bronx), Alan Maisel (D-Brooklyn) and Andrew Cohen (D-Bronx) also signed the missive that was sent to Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan).
The bill would afford all honorably discharged veterans the opportunity to purchase and apply up to three years credit toward New York’s public retirement system for military service. Current law only permits those who served in designated conflicts this benefit and unfairly penalizes Cold War veterans and women veterans who are historical excluded from assuming combat roles.
The Assembly and State Senate passed the bill last session by near unanimous consent and the City Council adopted a resolution in support of the legislation earlier this year. Cuomo vetoed the item on Nov. 7th, 2014 at the urging of Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“All military service is public service and it should be acknowledged as exactly that,” Ulrich said. “Those who have served our country honorably, regardless of time or era, should be entitled to the same benefits. The State Legislature has already voted to approve this bill by an overwhelming margin. They should affirm their support for our vets by overriding the governor’s veto.”
In vetoing the item, Cuomo said that “The costs of this proposal would fall not only on those individuals but would land, without any State funding, upon every locality and taxpayer in the State in which they claim credit…”
By Forum Staff
