Bill Text: NY S03981 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes a legal services veterans tax credit of up to $1,500 for any attorney who performs a minimum of fifty hours of pro bono legal services to a veteran or disabled veteran during a taxable year; provides that such services shall include, but not be limited to, veteran's benefits and appeals, military discharges and upgrades, public benefits, evictions and foreclosures, and consumer debt issues.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-07 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE [S03981 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S03981-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3981--A 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 1, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sens. REICHLIN-MELNICK, ADDABBO, BORRELLO, BROOKS, MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Budget and Revenue -- recommitted to the Committee on Budget and Revenue in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- commit- tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom- mitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the tax law, in relation to establishing a legal services veterans tax credit for attorneys who perform certain civil cases and services for veterans and disabled veterans The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 210-B of the tax law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 55 to read as follows: 3 55. Legal services veterans tax credit. (a) General. A taxpayer shall 4 be allowed a credit, to be computed as provided in this subdivision, 5 against the tax imposed by this article for any attorney who performs a 6 minimum of fifty hours of pro bono legal services for civil cases to a 7 veteran or disabled veteran during a taxable year. Such services shall 8 include, but not be limited to, veteran's benefits and appeals, military 9 discharges and upgrades, public benefits, evictions and foreclosures, 10 and consumer debt issues. 11 (b) Amount of credit. A credit authorized by this section shall not 12 exceed one thousand five hundred dollars annually. 13 (c) Carryovers. The credit allowed under this subdivision may be 14 claimed and if not fully used in the initial year for which the credit 15 is claimed may be carried over, in order, to each of the ten succeeding 16 taxable years. The credit authorized by this subdivision may not be used 17 to reduce the tax liability of the credit claimant below zero. 18 (d) Definitions. As used in this subdivision, the following terms 19 shall have the following meanings: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08366-02-2S. 3981--A 2 1 (i) "Veteran" shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 2 eighty-five of the civil service law. 3 (ii) "Disabled veteran" shall have the same meaning as set forth in 4 section eighty-five of the civil service law. 5 § 2. Subparagraph (B) of paragraph 1 of subsection (i) of section 606 6 of the tax law is amended by adding a new clause (xlvi) to read as 7 follows: 8 (xlvi) Legal services veterans tax Amount of credit under subdivision 9 credit under subsection (nnn) fifty-five of section two 10 hundred ten-B 11 § 3. Section 606 of the tax law is amended by adding a new subsection 12 (nnn) to read as follows: 13 (nnn) Legal services veterans tax credit. (1) General. A taxpayer 14 shall be allowed a credit, to be computed as provided in this 15 subsection, against the tax imposed by this article for any attorney who 16 performs a minimum of fifty hours of pro bono legal services for civil 17 cases to a veteran or disabled veteran during a taxable year. Such 18 services shall include, but not be limited to, veteran's benefits and 19 appeals, military discharges and upgrades, public benefits, evictions 20 and foreclosures, and consumer debt issues. 21 (2) Amount of credit. A credit authorized by this subsection shall not 22 exceed one thousand five hundred dollars annually. 23 (3) Carryovers. The credit allowed under this subsection may be 24 claimed and if not fully used in the initial year for which the credit 25 is claimed may be carried over, in order, to each of the ten succeeding 26 taxable years. The credit authorized by this subsection may not be used 27 to reduce the tax liability of the credit claimant below zero. 28 (4) Definitions. As used in this subsection, the following terms shall 29 have the following meanings: 30 (i) "Veteran" shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 31 eighty-five of the civil service law. 32 (ii) "Disabled veteran" shall have the same meaning as set forth in 33 section eighty-five of the civil service law. 34 § 4. The attorney general shall promulgate any necessary rules and 35 regulations that define which civil cases and services qualify for the 36 credit, as well as procedures for the screening and review of hour 37 submissions by attorneys. The commissioner of taxation and finance 38 shall promulgate any necessary rules and regulations pertaining to the 39 submission of qualifying hours by attorneys. 40 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to taxable 41 years beginning on or after January 1, 2022.
