NY S00721

Permits private employers to voluntarily adopt a veterans' preference employment policy for hiring, promoting, or retaining veterans over equally qualified applicants or employees.

Defines "veteran" as individuals who served on active duty in U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard) or state military units with either 180+ days of service with honorable discharge, discharge due to service-connected disability, or release from active duty orders with honorable discharge.

Requires any veterans' preference employment policy to be adopted in writing and applied uniformly across all employment decisions regarding hiring, promotion, and workforce retention.

Excludes state agencies, municipalities, counties, and school districts from this provision, applying only to private employers with one or more employees.

Becomes effective 180 days after enactment.