Bill Text: NY S03144 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Relates to increasing the earnings limitation for retired law enforcement officers; increases the earnings limitation from $35,000 to $65,000 for retired law enforcement officers employed as law enforcement officers after retirement.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-4)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-01-31 - AMENDED BY RESTORING TO PREVIOUS PRINT 3144C [S03144 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S03144-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         3144--D

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 27, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. MANNION, BORRELLO, COMRIE, HARCKHAM, HINCHEY, LANZA,
          MAYER,  PALUMBO,  ROLISON  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
          -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered  reprinted  as  amended
          and  recommitted  to  said  committee  --  committee  discharged, bill
          amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
          tee  --  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
          increasing the earning limitations for retired persons in positions of
          public service

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

     1    Section 1. Section 212 of the retirement and social  security  law  is
     2  amended by adding a new subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
     3    2-a.  Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  subdivision  two  of  this
     4  section, the earnings limitation for for retired persons in  a  position
     5  of  public service shall be increased to fifty thousand dollars from the
     6  year two thousand twenty-three and thereafter.
     7    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
          FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
          This bill would amend Section 212 of the Retirement and Social Securi-
        ty Law (RSSL) to set the salary a retired  person  may  earn  in  public
        employment  without  reduction in retirement allowance to $50,000 during
        the calendar year 2023 and thereafter. Currently, the  salary  limit  is
        $35,000.
          Insofar  as  this bill affects the New York State and Local Retirement
        System (NYSLRS), if enacted during the  2023  legislative  session,  the
        direct  cost  incurred  would  be the retiree's post-retirement earnings
        more than $35,000 each calendar year, not to  exceed  the  full  pension
        benefit  paid  by  the NYSLRS during the calendar year. Annually, NYSLRS

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03862-11-3

        S. 3144--D                          2

        will determine which  retirees  earned  post-retirement  income  with  a
        public employer.
          In   the  New  York  State  and  Local  Employees'  Retirement  System
        (NYSLERS), pursuant to Section 25 of the RSSL, these direct costs  would
        be borne entirely by the State of New York and would require an itemized
        appropriation  sufficient  to pay the cost of the provision. The benefit
        improvement will be funded by including a separate  itemized  charge  on
        the  annual  invoice  of the State of New York, beginning March 1, 2025,
        equal to the cost quoted above, plus interest.
          In the New York State and Local  Police  and  Fire  Retirement  System
        (NYSLPFRS),  those  participating employers that elect to hire a retired
        person pursuant to this legislation will incur annual costs equal to the
        additional pension payments quoted above, plus interest.
          In addition to the direct costs quoted above, insofar as this proposal
        disrupts the usual pattern and timing of employee turnover (that is,  if
        members  retire  earlier than assumed and participating employers hire a
        retiree instead of a new billable member),  shifts  in  member  behavior
        could generate losses that increase the average billing rates.
          *  In  the  20-year  and  25-year service-based plans, average billing
        rates could increase from 27.8% to 37.7%.
          * In the age-based plans, average billing rates  could  increase  from
        13.7% to 17.2%.
          The  actual  increase  in  billing  rates  will depend upon member and
        employer utilization, with the rates above representing an upper limit.
          Further, we anticipate additional administrative  costs  to  implement
        the provisions of this legislation.
          The  exact  number  of  current  members as well as future members who
        could be affected by this legislation cannot be readily determined.
          Summary of relevant resources:
          Membership data as of March 31, 2022 was used in measuring the  impact
        of the proposed change, the same data used in the April 1, 2022 actuari-
        al  valuation.  Distributions  and  other statistics can be found in the
        2022 Report of the Actuary and the 2022 Annual  Comprehensive  Financial
        Report.
          The  actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the 2020,
        2021, and 2022 Annual Report to the  Comptroller  on  Actuarial  Assump-
        tions,  and  the  Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York:
        Audit and Control.
          The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in the March 31, 2022
        New York State and Local  Retirement  System  Financial  Statements  and
        Supplementary Information.
          I am a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meet the Quali-
        fication Standards to render the actuarial opinion contained herein.
          This  fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
        of the proposed change nor is it intended to serve as a  substitute  for
        the professional judgment of an attorney.
          This  estimate, dated March 13, 2023, and intended for use only during
        the 2023 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2023-121,  prepared  by
        the Actuary for the New York State and Local Retirement System.
          FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
          This  bill  would  add  a  new  subdivision  2-a to Section 212 of the
        Retirement and Social Security Law to increase the  earnings  limitation
        for  retired  members  in  positions of public employment to $50,000 for
        calendar year 2023 and thereafter. Currently,  the  earnings  limitation
        for each calendar year is $35,000.

        S. 3144--D                          3

          This significant increase in the earnings-after-retirement limit could
        have  an  impact  on  the  Retirement System's patterns of retirement by
        inducing some members to retire earlier than they otherwise would  have.
        As a general rule of thumb, earlier retirement represents an increase in
        plan  costs  since members will be receiving their benefits for a longer
        period of time.
          The annual cost to the employers of members  of  the  New  York  State
        Teachers'  Retirement  System  for this benefit is estimated to be $81.9
        million or 0.44% of payroll if this bill is enacted.
          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. Actuari-
        al assumptions and methods are provided in the System's Actuarial  Valu-
        ation Report.
          The  source of this estimate is Fiscal Note 2023-36 dated June 2, 2023
        prepared by the Office of the Actuary of the New  York  State  Teachers'
        Retirement  System and is intended for use only during the 2023 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