CHENANGO COUNTY – The office of New York State Senator Tom Libous is reminding area residents of a number of new laws that will go into effect this month, encompassing issues from job creation to animal protection.
Two laws designed to help veterans are to go into effect this year. Businesses can receive a tax credit for hiring and employing a qualified veteran. The credit is equal to 10 percent of the total amount of wages paid to the qualified veteran during their first full year of employment. If the veteran is disabled, the credit amount is increased to 15 percent.
A “Homeless Veteran Assistance Fund” will also go into effect which assists homeless veterans with housing and housing-related expenses. A new dedicated tax check-off will allow New Yorkers to make contributions to the fund when filing their personal income taxes.
Two tax credits are also scheduled to go into effect. The first, a corpoorate tax reform, will save businesses an estimated $205 million this year and $501 million annually by 2019, when the reforms are fully phased in. According to Libous’ office, these tax reforms will help businesses throughout the state reinvest in the local economy and create jobs. The second tax credit is a workers with disabilities tax credit program available to business owners who employ individuals with developmental disabilities. The credit equals 15 percent of the wages for qualified full-time employees who work at least 30 hours per week, and 10 percent for qualified part-time employees who work at least eight hours per week.
Additionally, five new state laws to protect people and animals in the community will kick in this month:
• Long Term Health Care Insurance: In 2010, the Legislature enacted a law that allows end-of-life care for people in nursing homes to be financed using accelerated payments from life insurance. Starting January 1, the measure was expanded to allow for this type of financing to be used for people receiving end-of-life care in hospice, adult day care services, palliative care or by a long-term home health care provider.
• Protecting Firefighters: In recent years, collapsed buildings using truss-type constructions have been the cause of many preventable deaths of responding firefighters. While truss construction is very durable, when weakened by a fire, major components of a truss foundation can collapse suddenly without warning. This new law requires fire departments to be properly notified about which homes use truss-type construction in their district, so they can take proper precautions when responding to a fire.
Protecting Minors From Identity Theft: Credit agencies will be required to place a credit record freeze on the account of a minor when requested by a parent or guardian. This will protect children from identity theft and stop thieves from being able to use stolen information to apply for government benefits, open bank and credit cards, apply for loans or rent a place to live.
Protecting People in Adult Homes: This new law requires adult care facilities and assisted living residences to perform criminal background checks on prospective direct care staff for nursing homes and home care agencies.
Protecting Pets: It’s now illegal to needlessly pierce or tattoo pets, including cats and dogs, to protect the animals from unnecessary harm. Libous sponsored this bill because he said animals can’t speak out against undergoing a painful procedure like piercing or tattooing. The legislation allows the use of piercing and tattooing in only limited circumstances, such as ear tags on rabbits or tattoos for identification purposes only.