Bill Text: NY A05798 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Provides that for New York city police/fire members, uniformed correction/sanitation revised plan and investigator revised plan members of the New York city employees' retirement system, the service retirement benefit shall not be reduced by the primary social security retirement benefit commencing at age sixty-two.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-25 - print number 5798a [A05798 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A05798-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5798--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     March 23, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Governmental Employees -- recommitted to the Committee on
          Governmental Employees in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec.  2  --
          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
          service  retirement  benefits for certain members of the New York city
          employees' retirement system

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Section 505 of the retirement and social security law, as
     2  amended by chapter 18 of the  laws  of  2012,  is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    § 505. Service retirement benefits; police/fire members, New York city
     5  uniformed  correction/sanitation  revised  plan members and investigator
     6  revised plan members. a.  The  normal  service  retirement  benefit  for
     7  police/fire  members,  New  York  city  uniformed  correction/sanitation
     8  revised plan members and investigator revised  plan  members  at  normal
     9  retirement  age shall be a pension equal to fifty percent of final aver-
    10  age salary, less fifty percent of the primary social security retirement
    11  benefit commencing at age sixty-two, as provided in section five hundred
    12  eleven of this article, except that for police/fire members of  the  New
    13  York  city  fire  department  pension  fund  or the New York city police
    14  pension fund, the New York city uniformed correction/sanitation  revised
    15  plan  members  or investigator revised plan members of the New York city
    16  employees' retirement system,  the  normal  service  retirement  benefit
    17  shall  not  be reduced by the primary social security retirement benefit
    18  commencing at age sixty-two as provided in section five  hundred  eleven
    19  of this article.
    20    b.  The  early service retirement benefit for police/fire members, New
    21  York city  uniformed  correction/sanitation  revised  plan  members  and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06954-03-4

        A. 5798--A                          2

     1  investigator  revised  plan  members shall be a pension equal to two and
     2  one-tenths percent of final  average  salary  times  years  of  credited
     3  service  at the completion of twenty years of service or upon attainment
     4  of age sixty-two, increased by one-third of one percent of final average
     5  salary  for  each month of service in excess of twenty years, but not in
     6  excess of fifty percent of final average salary, less fifty  percent  of
     7  the  primary social security retirement benefit commencing at age sixty-
     8  two as  provided  in  section  five  hundred  eleven  of  this  article,
     9  provided,  however, that New York city police/fire revised plan members,
    10  New York city uniformed correction/sanitation revised plan  members  and
    11  investigator  revised  plan  members shall not be eligible to retire for
    12  service prior to the attainment of twenty years of credited service, and
    13  provided further that for police/fire members of the New York city  fire
    14  department     pension     fund  or  the   New   York   city   uniformed
    15  correction/sanitation  revised plan members or investigator revised plan
    16  members of the New York city employees'  retirement  system,  the  early
    17  service  retirement  benefit  shall not be reduced by the primary social
    18  security retirement benefit commencing at age sixty-two as  provided  in
    19  section five hundred eleven of this article.
    20    c.    A    police/fire    member,    a   New   York   city   uniformed
    21  correction/sanitation revised plan member  or  an  investigator  revised
    22  plan  member  who  retires  with twenty-two years of credited service or
    23  less may become eligible for annual escalation of the service retirement
    24  benefit if he elects to have the payment of his benefit commence on  the
    25  date  he  would have completed twenty-two years and one month or more of
    26  service. In such event, the service retirement benefit shall  equal  two
    27  percent  of final average salary for each year of credited service, less
    28  fifty percent of the primary social security retirement benefit commenc-
    29  ing at age sixty-two as provided in section five hundred eleven of  this
    30  article, except that for police/fire members of the New York  city  fire
    31  department   pension fund  or the New York city police pension fund, New
    32  York city uniformed correction/sanitation revised plan members or inves-
    33  tigator revised plan members of the New York city employees'  retirement
    34  system,  the  service  retirement  benefit  shall  not be reduced by the
    35  primary social security retirement benefit commencing at  age  sixty-two
    36  as provided in section five hundred eleven of this article.
    37    §  2. Section 511 of the retirement and social security law is amended
    38  by adding a new subdivision h to read as follows:
    39    h. This section shall not apply to police/fire members of the New York
    40  city fire department pension fund or the New York  city  police  pension
    41  fund, to New York  city  uniformed  correction/sanitation  revised  plan
    42  members  or  investigator  revised  plan  members  of  the New York city
    43  employees' retirement system who receive a  service  retirement  benefit
    44  pursuant  to  section  five  hundred  five of this article or a deferred
    45  vested benefit pursuant to section five hundred sixteen of this article.
    46    § 3. Subdivision c of section 516 of the retirement and social securi-
    47  ty law, as amended by chapter 18 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read
    48  as follows:
    49    c. The deferred vested benefit of police/fire members, New  York  city
    50  police/fire    revised   plan   members,   New   York   city   uniformed
    51  correction/sanitation revised plan members or investigator revised  plan
    52  members  shall  be a pension commencing at early retirement age equal to
    53  two and one-tenths percent of final average salary times years of  cred-
    54  ited  service, less fifty percent of the primary social security retire-
    55  ment benefit commencing at age sixty-two, as provided  in  section  five
    56  hundred  eleven  of this article, except that for police/fire members of

        A. 5798--A                          3

     1  the New York city fire department pension fund or  the  New  York   city
     2  police    pension    fund, New York city uniformed correction/sanitation
     3  revised plan members or investigator revised plan  members  of  the  New
     4  York  city  employees' retirement system, the service retirement benefit
     5  shall not be reduced by the primary social security  retirement  benefit
     6  commencing  at  age sixty-two as provided in section five hundred eleven
     7  of this article. A police/fire  member,  a  New  York  city  police/fire
     8  revised  plan  member,  a  New York city uniformed correction/sanitation
     9  revised plan member or investigator revised plan  member  may  elect  to
    10  receive  his  vested  benefit  commencing at early retirement age or age
    11  fifty-five. If the vested benefit commences before early retirement age,
    12  the benefit shall be reduced by one-fifteenth for  each  year,  if  any,
    13  that the member's early retirement age is in excess of age sixty, and by
    14  one-thirtieth  for  each  additional  year  by  which the vested benefit
    15  commences prior to early retirement  age.  If  such  vested  benefit  is
    16  deferred  until  after  such member's normal retirement age, the benefit
    17  shall be computed and subject to annual escalation in the same manner as
    18  provided for an early retirement benefit pursuant to  subdivision  c  of
    19  section five hundred five of this article.
    20    §  4.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
    21  have become a law.
          FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
          SUMMARY: This proposed legislation would amend Sections of the Retire-
        ment and Social Security Law (RSSL) to eliminate the offset equal to 50%
        of the primary social security benefit in the  service,  early  service,
        and  vested  retirement  benefits  for certain Tier 3 members of NYCERS,
        POLICE, and FIRE.
                 EXPECTED INCREASE (DECREASE) IN EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS
                  by Fiscal Year for the first 25 years ($ in Millions)

              Year     NYCERS    POLICE    FIRE     TOTAL
              2025     32.6      62.1      8.3      103.0
              2026     34.5      66.6      9.0      110.1
              2027     37.3      72.4      9.8      119.5
              2028     40.3      78.7      10.6     129.6
              2029     43.5      84.9      11.5     139.9
              2030     46.8      91.5      12.4     150.7
              2031     49.9      97.7      13.4     161.0
              2032     52.5      103.0     14.4     169.9
              2033     55.3      108.2     15.4     178.9
              2034     58.3      113.2     16.5     188.0
              2035     61.1      118.0     17.6     196.7
              2036     63.8      122.8     18.7     205.3
              2037     66.4      127.5     19.9     213.8
              2038     69.1      132.4     21.1     222.6
              2039     71.7      137.2     22.3     231.2
              2040     74.4      142.1     23.5     240.0
              2041     62.9      122.3     24.8     210.0
              2042     65.5      127.3     26.0     218.8
              2043     68.1      132.6     24.5     225.2
              2044     70.9      138.1     25.7     234.7
              2045     73.7      143.5     26.9     244.1
              2046     76.4      149.0     28.1     253.5
              2047     79.1      154.6     29.2     262.9
              2048     81.9      160.6     30.4     272.9
              2049     84.7      166.8     31.5     283.0

        A. 5798--A                          4

        Employer Contribution impact beyond  Fiscal  Year  2049  is  not  shown.
        Projected contributions include future new hires that may be impacted.
          The entire increase in employer contributions will be allocated to New
        York City.

                  EXPECTED INCREASE (DECREASE) IN ACTUARIAL LIABILITIES
                           as of June 30, 2023 ($ in Millions)
              Present Value (PV)           NYCERS    POLICE    FIRE
              PV of Benefits:              369.5     788.6     117.4
              PV of Employee Contributions:0.0       0.0       0.0
              PV of Employer Contributions:369.5     788.6     117.4
              Unfunded Accrued Liabilities:128.0     226.2     26.5

                       AMORTIZATION OF UNFUNDED ACCRUED LIABILITY
                                           NYCERS    POLICE    FIRE
              Number of Payments:          16        16        18
              Fiscal Year of Last Payment: 2040      2040      2042
              Amortization Payment:        14.0 M    24.8 M    2.7 M

          Unfunded  Accrued Liability increases were amortized over the expected
        remaining working lifetime of those  impacted  by  the  benefit  changes
        using level dollar payments.
          CENSUS  DATA:  The estimates presented herein are based on preliminary
        census data collected as of June 30,  2023.  The  census  data  for  the
        impacted population is summarized below.
                                           NYCERS    POLICE    FIRE
              Active Members
              - Number Count:              7,495     20,176    5,030
              - Average Age:               39.1      32.8      33.5
              - Average Service:           6.6       6.1       5.5
              - Average Salary:            100,000   107,600   112,400
              Term. Vested Members
              - Number Count:              600       924       9
              - Average Age:               38.6      34.7      37.6

          IMPACT  ON  MEMBER  BENEFITS: Currently, Tier 3 normal service retire-
        ment, early service  retirement,  and  vested  retirement  benefits  for
        members  in  22-Year  Plans are subject to an offset equal to 50% of the
        primary social security benefit as defined in RSSL Section 511 beginning
        at age 62.
          Under the proposed legislation, the offset for such benefits would  be
        eliminated resulting in an increase in benefits.
          ASSUMPTIONS  AND  METHODS:  The  estimates  presented herein have been
        calculated based on the Revised 2021 Actuarial Assumptions  and  Methods
        of the impacted retirement systems. In addition:
          *   New entrants were assumed to replace exiting members so that total
        payroll increases by 3% each year for impacted groups. New entrant demo-
        graphics were developed based on data for recent new hires and actuarial
        judgement.
          RISK  AND  UNCERTAINTY: The costs presented in this Fiscal Note depend
        highly on the actuarial assumptions, methods,  and  models  used,  demo-
        graphics  of  the  impacted population and other factors such as invest-
        ment, contribution, and other risks. If actual experience deviates  from
        actuarial   assumptions,  the  actual  costs  could  differ  from  those
        presented herein. Quantifying these risks is beyond the  scope  of  this
        Fiscal Note.

        A. 5798--A                          5

          This  Fiscal  Note  is intended to measure pension-related impacts and
        does not include other potential costs (e.g., administrative  and  Other
        Postemployment Benefits).
          This Fiscal Note does not include cost analyses relating to provisions
        contained in RSSL Section 500(c).
          STATEMENT OF ACTUARIAL OPINION: Marek Tyszkiewicz and Gregory Zelikov-
        sky  are members of the Society of Actuaries and the American Academy of
        Actuaries. We are members of NYCERS but do not believe  it  impairs  our
        objectivity  and  we  meet  the  Qualification Standards of the American
        Academy of Actuaries to render the actuarial opinion  contained  herein.
        To  the  best  of  our knowledge, the results contained herein have been
        prepared in accordance with generally accepted actuarial principles  and
        procedures  and  with  the Actuarial Standards of Practice issued by the
        Actuarial Standards Board.
          FISCAL NOTE IDENTIFICATION: This Fiscal Note 2024-05 dated January 22,
        2024 was prepared by the Chief Actuary for the New York City  Retirement
        Systems and Pension Funds. This estimate is intended for use only during
        the 2024 Legislative Session.
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