Suffolk County lawmakers are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation to expand state tuition benefits to non-combat military veterans in New York.
The current tuition benefit is only available to combat veterans, excluding the thousands of veterans who served honorably during their military career, but never got deployed to a combat zone. The bill has passed the state Assembly and Senate.
“We want to encourage people to serve their country," County Executive Ed Romaine said at a news conference Thursday. "What better way than to say, 'when you get out, we haven't forgotten about you.'"
Romaine urged Hochul to come to Suffolk County for a bill signing ceremony, noting the county has one of the highest populations of veterans in the country.
Leg. Nick Caracappa (R-Selden) said the tuition benefit qualifications shouldn't distinguish between combat and non-combat veterans.
“A veteran is a veteran," Caracappa said. "No matter what capacity they have served, every veteran has undergone vigorous training and conditioning in order to be combat ready should that call to duty ever be made.”
