A New York State Senator from the Hudson Valley says the 2013-2014 budget headed for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature, creates a first-of-its-kind program in the state.
Republican State Senator Greg Ball, who is chairman of the Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, says his Veterans’ Cemetery Bill will create a program to establish the first New York State Veterans’ Cemetery. The New York State Division of Veterans Affairs will oversee and manage the program. And to help financially support the program, the bill establishes a check-off box on state tax returns for donations, along with a Veterans Remembrance and Cemetery Maintenance and Operation Fund. While the legislation creates a program for statewide veterans’ cemeteries, locations have yet to be determined. In 2011, the Putnam County Legislature passed a resolution in support of the project and approved a parcel of land for donation. Ball is from Putnam County.
