Bill Text: NY A05733 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes alternative retirement benefits for peace officers in the department of motor vehicles; permits such officers to retire upon completion of twenty-five years of creditable service.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-30 - print number 5733a [A05733 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A05733-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5733
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   February 28, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced by M. of A. ABBATE -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Governmental Employees
       AN  ACT  to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to
         retirement benefits for certain employees
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The retirement and social security law is amended by adding
    2  a new section 89-x to read as follows:
    3    S  89-X.  ALTERNATIVE  RETIREMENT  BENEFITS  FOR PEACE OFFICERS IN THE
    4  DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.  A.  DEFINITIONS.  FOR  PURPOSES  OF  THIS
    5  SECTION:
    6    1.  "QUALIFYING  MEMBER" SHALL MEAN ANY MEMBER WHO IS IN SERVICE AS AN
    7  EMPLOYEE OF THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR  VEHICLES  WHO  IS  A
    8  PEACE OFFICER AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE TWO OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW.
    9    2.  "QUALIFYING  CREDITABLE  SERVICE"  SHALL  MEAN  CREDITABLE SERVICE
   10  RENDERED WHILE A MEMBER IS  A  MEMBER  OF  A  PUBLIC  RETIREMENT  SYSTEM
   11  EMPLOYED  IN A POSITION WHICH IS DESIGNATED AS A POLICE OFFICER PURSUANT
   12  TO ARTICLE ONE OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE  LAW  OR  AS  A  PEACE  OFFICER
   13  PURSUANT TO ARTICLE TWO OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW.
   14    3.  "PUBLIC RETIREMENT SYSTEM" SHALL MEAN THE NEW YORK STATE AND LOCAL
   15  EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM, THE NEW YORK STATE AND  LOCAL  POLICE  AND
   16  FIRE  RETIREMENT SYSTEM, THE NEW YORK STATE TEACHERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM,
   17  THE NEW YORK CITY EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM, THE NEW YORK CITY TEACH-
   18  ERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM, THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND,  THE  NEW
   19  YORK  CITY  FIRE  DEPARTMENT PENSION FUND AND THE NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF
   20  EDUCATION RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
   21    B. ELIGIBILITY. 1. ANY QUALIFYING MEMBER, AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION  A
   22  OF  THIS SECTION, SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS
   23  OF THIS SECTION. SUCH ELIGIBILITY SHALL BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE  ELIGI-
   24  BILITY  PROVISIONS  AVAILABLE  UNDER  ANY  OTHER PLAN OF THIS ARTICLE TO
   25  WHICH SUCH MEMBER IS SUBJECT. THE COMPTROLLER MAY REQUEST CERTIFICATIONS
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD09084-01-1
       A. 5733                             2
    1  FROM  AGENCY  OFFICIALS,  AS  APPROPRIATE,  TO  IDENTIFY  SUCH  ELIGIBLE
    2  MEMBERS.
    3    2.  ANY  SUCH  QUALIFYING MEMBER SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RETIRE AFTER THE
    4  COMPLETION OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS  OF  QUALIFYING  CREDITABLE  SERVICE  BY
    5  FILING  AN  APPLICATION THEREFOR IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO THAT PROVIDED IN
    6  SECTION SEVENTY OF THIS ARTICLE; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, NO SUCH MEMBER SHALL
    7  BE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE UNTIL HE OR SHE HAS A  MINIMUM  OF  TEN  YEARS  OF
    8  QUALIFYING CREDITABLE SERVICE.
    9    C.  RETIREMENT  ALLOWANCE.  A  MEMBER RETIRING UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF
   10  THIS SECTION SHALL  RECEIVE  A  RETIREMENT  ALLOWANCE  CONSISTING  OF  A
   11  PENSION  EQUAL  TO  ONE-FIFTIETH  OF HIS OR HER FINAL AVERAGE SALARY FOR
   12  EACH YEAR OF QUALIFYING CREDITABLE SERVICE.  THIS  RETIREMENT  ALLOWANCE
   13  SHALL NOT EXCEED FIFTY PERCENT OF SUCH MEMBER'S FINAL AVERAGE SALARY.
   14    D.  COMPUTATION  OF  SERVICE.  IN  COMPUTING  THE TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF
   15  COMPLETED SERVICE OF A QUALIFYING MEMBER FOR PURPOSES OF  THIS  SECTION,
   16  FULL  CREDIT SHALL BE GIVEN AND FULL ALLOWANCE SHALL BE MADE FOR SERVICE
   17  OF SUCH MEMBER IN WAR AFTER WORLD WAR I, AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION THIR-
   18  TY OF SECTION TWO OF THIS CHAPTER, PROVIDED SUCH MEMBER AT THE  TIME  OF
   19  HIS OR HER ENTRANCE INTO THE ARMED FORCES WAS IN STATE SERVICE.
   20    E. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO PREVENT A MEMBER, WHO
   21  DOES NOT RETIRE PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, FROM UTILIZ-
   22  ING  SERVICE  WHICH  IS CREDITABLE SERVICE PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF
   23  THIS SECTION FOR THE SERVICE CREDIT PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER PLAN  OF  THIS
   24  ARTICLE TO WHICH SUCH MEMBER IS SUBJECT.
   25    F.  THE  INCREASED  COSTS OF THE BENEFITS PROVIDED FOR IN THIS SECTION
   26  SHALL BE PAID FROM ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY THE EMPLOYER.
   27    G. THE PROVISIONS IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONTROLLING NOTWITHSTANDING
   28  ANY OTHER PROVISION IN THIS ARTICLE TO THE CONTRARY.
   29    S 2. Subdivision a of section 445 of the retirement and social securi-
   30  ty law, as amended by chapter 295 of the laws of  2007,  is  amended  to
   31  read as follows:
   32    a.  No  member of a retirement system who is subject to the provisions
   33  of this article shall retire without regard to age, exclusive of retire-
   34  ment for disability, unless he is a policeman, an investigator member of
   35  the New York city  employees'  retirement  system,  fireman,  correction
   36  officer,  a  qualifying  member  as defined in section eighty-nine-t, as
   37  added by chapter six hundred fifty-seven of the laws of nineteen hundred
   38  ninety-eight, of this chapter, A QUALIFYING MEMBER AS DEFINED IN SECTION
   39  EIGHTY-NINE-X  OF  THIS  CHAPTER,  sanitation  man,  a  special  officer
   40  (including  persons  employed by the city of New York in the title urban
   41  park ranger or associate urban park ranger), school safety agent, campus
   42  peace officer or a taxi and limousine commission inspector member of the
   43  New York city employees' retirement system or the New York city board of
   44  education retirement system, a dispatcher member of the  New  York  city
   45  employees'  retirement system, a police communications member of the New
   46  York city employees' retirement system, an EMT member of  the  New  York
   47  city  employees'  retirement  system, a deputy sheriff member of the New
   48  York city employees' retirement system,  a  correction  officer  of  the
   49  Westchester  county  correction department as defined in section eighty-
   50  nine-e of this chapter or employed in Suffolk county as a peace officer,
   51  as defined in section eighty-nine-s, as added by  chapter  five  hundred
   52  eighty-eight of the laws of nineteen hundred ninety-seven, of this chap-
   53  ter,  employed  in Suffolk county as a correction officer, as defined in
   54  section eighty-nine-f of this chapter, or employed in Nassau county as a
   55  correction officer, uniformed correction  division  personnel,  sheriff,
   56  undersheriff  or  deputy sheriff, as defined in section eighty-nine-g of
       A. 5733                             3
    1  this chapter, or employed in Nassau county as an ambulance medical tech-
    2  nician, an ambulance  medical  technician/supervisor  or  a  member  who
    3  performs  ambulance  medical  technician related services, as defined in
    4  section  eighty-nine-s, as amended by chapter five hundred seventy-eight
    5  of the laws of  nineteen  hundred  ninety-eight,  of  this  chapter,  or
    6  employed  in  Nassau  county  as  a peace officer, as defined in section
    7  eighty-nine-s, as added by chapter five hundred ninety-five of the  laws
    8  of nineteen hundred ninety-seven, of this chapter, or employed in Albany
    9  county as a sheriff, undersheriff, deputy sheriff, correction officer or
   10  identification  officer,  as  defined  in  section eighty-nine-h of this
   11  chapter or is employed in St. Lawrence county as a  sheriff,  undersher-
   12  iff,  deputy sheriff or correction officer, as defined in section eight-
   13  y-nine-i of this chapter or is employed in Orleans county as a  sheriff,
   14  undersheriff,  deputy  sheriff  or  correction  officer,  as  defined in
   15  section eighty-nine-l of this chapter or is employed in Jefferson county
   16  as a sheriff, undersheriff, deputy sheriff  or  correction  officer,  as
   17  defined in section eighty-nine-j of this chapter or is employed in Onon-
   18  daga county as a deputy sheriff-jail division competitively appointed or
   19  as  a  correction  officer,  as defined in section eighty-nine-k of this
   20  chapter or is employed in a county which makes an election under  subdi-
   21  vision  j  of section eighty-nine-p of this chapter as a sheriff, under-
   22  sheriff, deputy sheriff or correction officer as defined in such section
   23  eighty-nine-p or is employed in Broome County as a  sheriff,  undersher-
   24  iff,  deputy sheriff or correction officer, as defined in section eight-
   25  y-nine-m of this chapter or is  a  Monroe  county  deputy  sheriff-court
   26  security,  or deputy sheriff-jailor as defined in section eighty-nine-n,
   27  as added by chapter five hundred ninety-seven of the  laws  of  nineteen
   28  hundred ninety-one, of this chapter or is employed in Greene county as a
   29  sheriff,  undersheriff, deputy sheriff or correction officer, as defined
   30  in section eighty-nine-o of this chapter or is a  traffic  officer  with
   31  the  town  of Elmira as defined in section eighty-nine-q of this chapter
   32  or is employed by Suffolk county as a park police officer, as defined in
   33  section eighty-nine-r of this chapter or is a peace officer employed  by
   34  a  county  probation  department as defined in section eighty-nine-t, as
   35  added by chapter six hundred three of the laws of nineteen hundred nine-
   36  ty-eight, of this chapter or is employed in Rockland county as a  deputy
   37  sheriff-civil  as  defined  in  section eighty-nine-v of this chapter as
   38  added by chapter four hundred forty-one of the laws of two thousand one,
   39  or is employed in Rockland county as a superior  correction  officer  as
   40  defined  in  section  eighty-nine-v  of this chapter as added by chapter
   41  five hundred fifty-six of the laws of two thousand one or is a paramedic
   42  employed by the police department in the town of Tonawanda  and  retires
   43  under  the provisions of section eighty-nine-v of this chapter, as added
   44  by chapter four hundred seventy-two of the laws of two thousand one,  or
   45  is  a  county  fire  marshal,  supervising  fire  marshal, fire marshal,
   46  assistant fire marshal, assistant  chief  fire  marshal  or  chief  fire
   47  marshal  employed  by the county of Nassau as defined in section eighty-
   48  nine-w of this chapter and is in a plan which permits immediate  retire-
   49  ment  upon completion of a specified period of service without regard to
   50  age. Except as provided in subdivision c of section four hundred  forty-
   51  five-a  of  this  article,  subdivision c of section four hundred forty-
   52  five-b of this article, subdivision c of  section  four  hundred  forty-
   53  five-c   of   this  article,  subdivision  c  of  section  four  hundred
   54  forty-five-d of this article, subdivision  c  of  section  four  hundred
   55  forty-five-e  of  this  article,  subdivision  c of section four hundred
   56  forty-five-f of this article and subdivision c of section  four  hundred
       A. 5733                             4
    1  forty-five-h  of this article, a member in such a plan and such an occu-
    2  pation, other than a policeman or investigator member of  the  New  York
    3  city  employees'  retirement system or a fireman, shall not be permitted
    4  to  retire  prior  to  the  completion  of twenty-five years of credited
    5  service; provided, however, if such a member in such an occupation is in
    6  a plan which permits retirement  upon  completion  of  twenty  years  of
    7  service regardless of age, he may retire upon completion of twenty years
    8  of  credited service and prior to the completion of twenty-five years of
    9  service, but in such event the benefit provided from  funds  other  than
   10  those  based  on  such a member's own contributions shall not exceed two
   11  per centum of final average salary per each year of credited service.
   12    S 3. Section 603 of the retirement and social security law is  amended
   13  by adding a new subdivision u to read as follows:
   14    U.  THE  SERVICE  RETIREMENT  BENEFIT SPECIFIED IN SECTION SIX HUNDRED
   15  FOUR OF THIS ARTICLE SHALL BE PAYABLE WITHOUT REGARD TO AGE TO  QUALIFY-
   16  ING  MEMBERS,  AS  DEFINED  IN SUBDIVISION A OF SECTION EIGHTY-NINE-X OF
   17  THIS CHAPTER, WITH TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF QUALIFYING SERVICE AS DEFINED IN
   18  SUCH SECTION, IF SUCH MEMBERS HAVE MET THE MINIMUM SERVICE  REQUIREMENTS
   19  UPON  RETIREMENT.  ANY SUCH MEMBER SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RETIRE AFTER THE
   20  COMPLETION OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS  OF  QUALIFYING  CREDITABLE  SERVICE  BY
   21  FILING  AN  APPLICATION THEREFOR IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO THAT PROVIDED IN
   22  SECTION SEVENTY OF THIS CHAPTER.
   23    S 4. Section 604 of the retirement and social security law is  amended
   24  by adding a new subdivision u to read as follows:
   25    U. THE EARLY SERVICE RETIREMENT BENEFIT FOR A MEMBER WHO IS A QUALIFY-
   26  ING  MEMBER AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION A OF SECTION EIGHTY-NINE-X OF THIS
   27  CHAPTER SHALL BE A PENSION EQUAL TO ONE-FIFTIETH OF FINAL AVERAGE SALARY
   28  TIMES YEARS OF QUALIFYING SERVICE, AS DEFINED IN  SECTION  EIGHTY-NINE-X
   29  OF THIS CHAPTER, AT THE COMPLETION OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF SUCH SERVICE,
   30  BUT NOT EXCEEDING ONE-HALF OF HIS OR HER FINAL AVERAGE SALARY.
   31    S 5. Implementation provisions. (a) Amortization of past service cost.
   32  The  comptroller  shall prepare and file with the director of the budget
   33  an estimate of the past service cost resulting  from  implementation  of
   34  this  act,  at  the same time and in the same manner as the annual esti-
   35  mates required under section 16 of the retirement  and  social  security
   36  law,  on  the  first  such  annual  date  for which it is practicable to
   37  provide such an estimate.  Notwithstanding section 430 of the retirement
   38  and social security law, the past service cost as so determined shall be
   39  paid by the state, with interest as defined in section 16 of the retire-
   40  ment and social security law, in ten  equal  annual  installments.  Such
   41  payments  shall be made at the same time and in the same manner as other
   42  payments by the state pursuant to  section  16  of  the  retirement  and
   43  social  security  law,  beginning with the first payment date that is at
   44  least 60 days after the preparation and filing of the estimate  of  past
   45  service cost with the director of the budget.
   46    (b) Increased employer contributions. All other contribution increases
   47  resulting  from implementation of this act (exclusive of those resulting
   48  from past service cost) shall also be estimated by the  comptroller  and
   49  paid  by  the  state at the same time and in the same manner as contrib-
   50  utions are estimated and paid under section 16  of  the  retirement  and
   51  social  security  law,  notwithstanding provisions of section 430 of the
   52  retirement and social security law to the contrary.
   53    S 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
         FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
         This bill would permit certain peace officers in the  New  York  State
       Department  of  Motor  Vehicles to retire upon completion of twenty-five
       A. 5733                             5
       (25) years of creditable service. For all eligible officers, the benefit
       upon retirement would be an allowance of one-half final average  salary.
       There  would  be  no reduction due to early service retirement for these
       members.
         If  this  bill  is enacted, we anticipate that there would be an esti-
       mated increase in the annual contributions of the State of New  York  of
       approximately $70,500 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012.
         In addition to the annual contributions discussed above, there will be
       an immediate past service cost to the State of New York of approximately
       $624,000,  assuming  a payment date of March 1, 2012.  If this cost were
       amortized over a period of ten (10) years, the cost for the  first  year
       including interest would be approximately $84,600.
         These  estimated  costs are based on one hundred eleven (111) officers
       employed by the Department of Motor Vehicles  with  a  total  salary  of
       approximately $6.7 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011.
         This  estimate,  dated  December  10,  2010, and intended for use only
       during the  2011  Legislative  Session,  is  Fiscal  Note  No.  2011-32,
       prepared  by  the  Actuary  for  the New York State and Local Employees'
       Retirement System.
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