Bill > S00791

This bill clarifies and amends the Alex R. Jimenez New York State Military Immigrant Family Legacy Program, which is designed to support military service members, veterans, and their families with immigration-related needs. The bill expands the definition of "intended recipients" to include a broader range of family members such as spouses, domestic partners, parents (including adoptive and step-parents), children (including step and adopted children), and next-of-kin of service members who died in service. The program, housed within the Office for New Americans, will now focus on referring intended recipients to existing immigration service programs, including legal assistance, rather than directly providing those services. Key changes include establishing liaison responsibilities to coordinate immigration support, maintaining a multilingual hotline and website with program resources, and protecting the privacy of personally identifying information. The program's primary goal remains helping military-connected immigrants secure legal status in the United States, with an emphasis on referral services and resource coordination. Liaisons will be required to submit annual reports on the number of intended recipients referred to the program, and the report will be submitted to the governor and legislature by March first each year.

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S791