Legislation would create a reimbursement fund for the costs of emergency return of New Yorkers traveling home from Israel or Palestine
State Senators Julia Salazar and Gustavo Rivera alongside Assemblymember Emily Gallagher have introduced a bill, S7716, to allow New York State to financially reimburse New Yorkers evacuating from Israel and the Palestinian territories during the ongoing crisis.
Violence in the region is escalating by the day, along with the impending threat of a wider conflict with devastating impacts. Due to many airlines indefinitely cancelling flights in or out of the region’s airports, hundreds of New Yorkers who were visiting Israel or Palestine have found themselves unable to flee and return safely home to the United States. With commercial air traffic severely limited, the U.S. government arranged for charter flights and/or ships to assist in helping people evacuate the area. However, these arrangements only provided transportation to locations in Europe, without arrangements for lodging or transportation back to the United States. Additionally, the US government has required individuals to agree to reimburse the federal government for the cost of this potentially life-saving transportation.
The established emergency fund would ensure reimbursement for otherwise unreimbursed expenses incurred relating to travel outside of Israel or Palestine as a direct result of the conflict that began on October 7th. Reimbursement will include costs relating to travel, lodging, lost personal property, medical care, other related expenses, and reimbursement provided to the United States government for such travel.
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