---
type: "Bill"
title: "Enacts the governing unaccredited representatives defrauding (GUARD) VA benefits act"
description: "Protects veterans from fraud and unaccredited representatives; institutes a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for violation; establishes the class A misdemeanor crime of unaccredited representation of a veteran; establishes a veterans' services fund."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ny"
legislature: "New York Legislature"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "S 8150"
citation: "New York S 8150 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Siela Bynoe"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 12
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-05-15"
last_action: "2025-11-05"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/09bbeb2c-b5e8-42e7-b9dc-ab74dc5d8afb"
source_url: "http://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8150"
source_hash: "92afa38e407246ad0fc794a2e8a3f021ca19e13e4116ea3a9fb6cba553d6485c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ny"]
---

# New York S 8150 (2025-2026) — Enacts the governing unaccredited representatives defrauding (GUARD) VA benefits act

Protects veterans from fraud and unaccredited representatives; institutes a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for violation; establishes the class A misdemeanor crime of unaccredited representation of a veteran; establishes a veterans' services fund.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **S8150** (committee substitute) — [source](http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?sh=printbill&bn=S8150&term=2025&Text=Y)

## Votes

- Rules Vote — **21–0** (pass) · upper
- Assembly Vote — **133–0** (pass) · lower
- Floor Vote — **62–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Siela Bynoe — primary (person)
- Steve Rhoads — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-05-15** REFERRED TO VETERANS, HOMELAND SECURITY AND MILITARY AFFAIRS `referral-committee`
- **2025-06-09** COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES `referral-committee`
- **2025-06-09** ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1717
- **2025-06-09** PASSED SENATE `passage`
- **2025-06-09** DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
- **2025-06-09** REFERRED TO CODES `referral-committee`
- **2025-06-13** SUBSTITUTED FOR A8476
- **2025-06-13** ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.758
- **2025-06-13** PASSED ASSEMBLY `passage`
- **2025-06-13** RETURNED TO SENATE
- **2025-11-03** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR `executive-receipt`
- **2025-11-05** SIGNED CHAP.491 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/09bbeb2c-b5e8-42e7-b9dc-ab74dc5d8afb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New York legislature records).