Bill Text: NY A07888 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Authorizes the payment of retirement benefits by the New York state teachers' retirement system to Dominic J. Feminella, the widower of Jeannette M. Feminella, if he shall file an option election form with the retirement board of such retirement system.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-10 - held for consideration in governmental employees [A07888 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A07888-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7888--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 28, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. GANDOLFO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee  on  Governmental  Employees  --  recommitted  to the Committee on
          Governmental Operations in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2  --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to authorize the widower of Jeannette  M.  Feminella  to  file  a
          retirement option election form

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

     1    Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary,
     2  Dominic J. Feminella, the widower of Jeannette M. Feminella, who  was  a
     3  member  of  the New York state teachers' retirement system and had filed
     4  for retirement effective June 17, 2016, who prior to her death  on  July
     5  7,  2016,  in  the presence of a notary public, completed an election to
     6  change her originally executed retirement option with the New York state
     7  teachers' retirement system to the one hundred percent survivor, and who
     8  died before the changed election was received  by  the  New  York  state
     9  teachers' retirement system on July 9, 2016, shall be authorized to file
    10  such  option  election  form  on  behalf  of  his deceased wife to a one
    11  hundred percent survivor option, if within one  year  of  the  effective
    12  date  of  this act he shall file a request therefor with the head of the
    13  New York state  teachers'  retirement  system.  Such  retirement  option
    14  election  shall be deemed to have become effective on June 17, 2016. All
    15  retirement benefits payable pursuant to the provisions of this act shall
    16  be paid to Dominic J. Feminella and  shall  be  in  lieu  of  any  other
    17  retirement  benefits payable; provided, however, if a retirement benefit
    18  was made payable prior to the effective date of  this  act,  all  monies
    19  paid  shall be remitted to the retirement system. Upon enactment of this
    20  act, Dominic J. Feminella shall renounce all benefits to be  paid  under
    21  the  originally  executed  retirement option effective June 17, 2016 and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08763-06-2

        A. 7888--A                          2

     1  shall be deemed eligible for the survivor option as authorized  by  this
     2  act.
     3    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
          FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
          This  bill  would allow Dominic J. Feminella, the widower of Jeannette
        M. Feminella who was a retired member of the New  York  State  Teachers'
        Retirement  System,  to change her originally executed retirement option
        to the 100% joint and survivor option, designating him as the  benefici-
        ary.  Ms.   Feminella retired on June 17, 2016 and died on July 7, 2016,
        two days before her signed, notarized change of option election form was
        received by the Retirement System. Mr. Feminella  must  file  a  written
        request  with the head of the New York State Teachers' Retirement System
        within one year of the effective  date  of  this  act.  Such  retirement
        option  election  shall  be  deemed to have become effective on June 17,
        2016. All retirement benefits payable pursuant to the provisions of this
        act shall be paid to Mr. Feminella and shall be in  lieu  of  any  other
        retirement  benefits payable. Any retirement benefit that was made prior
        to the effective date of this act will be paid back  to  the  Retirement
        System.  Upon  enactment  of this bill, Mr. Feminella shall renounce all
        benefits to be paid under  the  originally  executed  retirement  option
        filed  effective  June  17,  2016  and  shall be deemed eligible for the
        survivor option as authorized by this act.
          The total cost of this benefit cannot be determined. If this  bill  is
        enacted  the  Retirement  System will be providing a survivor benefit to
        Ms.   Feminella's spouse. The ultimate cost  of  this  benefit  will  be
        determined by how long Mr. Feminella lives. He is required to return any
        benefit already received. Allowing retired members to change their bene-
        fit  option  after  retirement weakens the pooling of longevity risk and
        the pricing of the options and would  potentially  result  in  actuarial
        losses.
          Member  data  is  from  the  System's  most recent actuarial valuation
        files, consisting of data provided by the employers  to  the  Retirement
        System.   Data distributions and statistics can be found in the System's
        Annual Report. System assets are as reported in the  System's  financial
        statements and can also be found in the System's Annual Report.  Actuar-
        ial assumptions and methods are provided in the System's Actuarial Valu-
        ation Report and the 2021 Actuarial Assumptions Report.
          The  source  of this estimate is Fiscal Note 2022-29 dated May 2, 2022
        prepared by the Office of the Actuary of the New  York  State  Teachers'
        Retirement  System and is intended for use only during the 2022 Legisla-
        tive Session. I, Richard A. Young, am the Chief Actuary for the New York
        State Teachers' Retirement System. I am a member of the American Academy
        of Actuaries and I meet the  Qualification  Standards  of  the  American
        Academy of Actuaries to render the actuarial opinion contained herein.
feedback