Bill Text: NY A05093 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Alters the definition of final average salary for Tier 3, 4 and 5 members so that wages earned during any year would not be allowed to exceed that of the average of the previous two years by more than twenty percent, up from the current rate of ten percent.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-30 - print number 5093b [A05093 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A05093-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        5093--A
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   February 11, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. ABBATE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. AUBRY,
         BOYLAND,  CANESTRARI,  CLARK,  COOK,  CYMBROWITZ,  GOTTFRIED,  LIFTON,
         MAGEE, McENENY, ORTIZ, PHEFFER, SCHROEDER, SWEENEY, WEISENBERG -- read
         once  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Governmental Employees --
         committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
         recommitted to said committee
       AN  ACT  to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to
         the definitions of final average salary
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Subdivisions a and b of section 512 of the retirement and
    2  social security law, subdivision a as amended by chapter 379 of the laws
    3  of 1986 and subdivision b as amended by chapter 286 of the laws of 2010,
    4  are amended to read as follows:
    5    a. A member's final average salary shall be the average  wages  earned
    6  by  such  a  member during any three consecutive years which provide the
    7  highest average wage; provided, however, if the wages earned during  any
    8  year  included  in  the  period  used  to determine final average salary
    9  exceeds that of the average of the previous two years by more than [ten]
   10  TWENTY percent, the amount in excess of [ten] TWENTY  percent  shall  be
   11  excluded from the computation of final average salary.  Where the period
   12  used  to  determine final average salary is the period which immediately
   13  precedes the date of retirement, any month or months (not in  excess  of
   14  twelve)  which  would  otherwise  be included in computing final average
   15  salary but during which the member was on authorized leave of absence at
   16  partial pay or without pay shall be excluded  from  the  computation  of
   17  final  average  salary  and the month or an equal number of months imme-
   18  diately preceding such period shall be substituted in lieu thereof.
   19    b. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision a  of  this  section,
   20  with  respect  to  members  of  the  New York state AND LOCAL employees'
   21  retirement system, the New York state and local police and fire  retire-
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD07901-02-1
       A. 5093--A                          2
    1  ment  system  and  the  New  York  city  teachers'  retirement system, a
    2  member's final average salary shall be equal to one-third of the highest
    3  total wages earned during any continuous period of employment for  which
    4  the  member  was  credited with three years of service credit; provided,
    5  however, if the  wages  earned  during  any  year  of  credited  service
    6  included  the  period used to determine final average salary exceeds the
    7  average of the wages of the previous two years of  credited  service  by
    8  more  than  [ten]  TWENTY  percent, the amount in excess of [ten] TWENTY
    9  percent shall be excluded from the computation of final average salary.
   10    S 2. Subdivisions a and b of section 608 of the retirement and  social
   11  security  law,  subdivision  a  as amended by chapter 379 of the laws of
   12  1986 and subdivision b as amended by chapter 286 of the  laws  of  2010,
   13  are amended to read as follows:
   14    a.  A  member's final average salary shall be the average wages earned
   15  by such a member during any three consecutive years  which  provide  the
   16  highest  average wage; provided, however, if the wages earned during any
   17  year included in the period  used  to  determine  final  average  salary
   18  exceeds that of the average of the previous two years by more than [ten]
   19  TWENTY  percent,  the  amount in excess of [ten] TWENTY percent shall be
   20  excluded from the computation of final average salary. Where the  period
   21  used  to  determine final average salary is the period which immediately
   22  precedes the date of retirement, any month or months (not in  excess  of
   23  twelve)  which  would  otherwise  be included in computing final average
   24  salary but during which the member was on authorized leave of absence at
   25  partial pay or without pay shall be excluded  from  the  computation  of
   26  final  average  salary  and the month or an equal number of months imme-
   27  diately preceding such period shall be substituted in lieu thereof.
   28    b. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision a  of  this  section,
   29  with  respect  to  members  of  the  New York state AND LOCAL employees'
   30  retirement system and the New York city teachers' retirement  system,  a
   31  member's final average salary shall be equal to one-third of the highest
   32  total  wages  earned  by  such  member  during  any continuous period of
   33  employment for which the member was credited with three years of service
   34  credit; provided, however, if the wages earned during any year of  cred-
   35  ited  service  included  in  the  period used to determine final average
   36  salary exceeds the average of the wages of the  previous  two  years  of
   37  credited service by more than [ten] TWENTY percent, the amount in excess
   38  of  [ten] TWENTY percent shall be excluded from the computation of final
   39  average salary.
   40    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately and  shall  be  deemed  to
   41  have been in full force and effect on or after June 30, 2011.
         FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
         This  bill  will  amend  the  definition  of  final  average salary in
       Sections 512 and 608 of the  Retirement  and  Social  Security  Law  for
       certain  Tiers  3,  4 and 5 members. It would raise the restriction that
       limits salary from a maximum of 10% increase over  the  average  of  the
       previous two years to a 20% maximum.
         If  this  bill is enacted, insofar as this bill will affect Tiers 3, 4
       and 5 members of the New York  State  and  Local  Employees'  Retirement
       System  (ERS)  and Tier 3 members of the New York State and Local Police
       and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) who are subject to the  provisions  of
       Article  14, there would be estimated additional annual contributions of
       approximately $95 million to the State of New York, $130 million to  the
       participating  employers  in  the  ERS and $170,000 to the participating
       employers in the PFRS.
       A. 5093--A                          3
         This estimate, dated November 17, 2010,  and  intended  for  use  only
       during  the  2011  Legislative  Session,  is  Fiscal  Note  No. 2011-27,
       prepared by the Actuary for the New  York  State  and  Local  Employees'
       Retirement  System  and  the  New  York  State and Local Police and Fire
       Retirement System.
         FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
         This  bill  would  amend  sections  512  and 608 of the Retirement and
       Social Security Law to alter the definition of final average salary  for
       Tier  3,  4  and  5 members. In the computation of final average salary,
       wages earned during any year would not be allowed to exceed that of  the
       average  of  the previous two years by more than twenty percent. This is
       the limit on wages that exists in Tier 2. Currently the limit for  Tiers
       3, 4 and 5 is ten percent.
         The  annual  cost  to  the  employers of members of the New York State
       Teachers' Retirement System for this benefit is  estimated  to  be  $1.0
       million or 0.007% of payroll if this bill is enacted.
         The  source  of  this  estimate is Fiscal Note 2011-25 dated March 16,
       2011 prepared by the Actuary of the New York State Teachers'  Retirement
       System and is intended for use only during the 2011 Legislative Session.
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