Bill Text: NY S07788 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the use of accrued vacation time toward student loan payments; defines terms; requires the president of the civil service commission to promulgate necessary rules and regulations.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-20 - REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS [S07788 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S07788-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7788

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 20, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the civil service law, in relation to use of accrued
          vacation time

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

     1    Section  1.  The  civil service law is amended by adding a new section
     2  159-c to read as follows:
     3    § 159-c. Use of accrued vacation time towards student  loan  payments.
     4  1.  Every  public  officer,  employee  of  this state, county, community
     5  college, public authority, public benefit corporation, board of  cooper-
     6  ative  educational  services (BOCES), vocational education and extension
     7  board, school district enumerated in section one of chapter five hundred
     8  sixty-six of the laws of  nineteen  hundred  sixty-seven,  municipality,
     9  school  district  or  participating  employer  in the New York state and
    10  local employees' retirement system or a participating  employer  in  the
    11  New  York  state  teachers'  retirement  system shall be entitled to use
    12  accrued vacation time toward the payment of student loans.
    13    2. The provisions of this section shall not  apply  to  any  employees
    14  subject to a collective bargaining agreement as of the effective date of
    15  this  section.  An  employee  organization  may,  pursuant to collective
    16  bargaining, opt in to the provisions of this section on behalf of  those
    17  public  employees  it  is  either  certified or recognized to represent,
    18  within the meaning of article fourteen of this chapter, or may  alterna-
    19  tively  bargain  for benefits greater or less than those provided for by
    20  this section.  An  employee  organization  that  has  opted  in  to  the
    21  provisions  of  this section may, pursuant to collective bargaining, opt
    22  out of it as is mutually agreed upon between the  employee  organization
    23  and any public employer.
    24    3.  Nothing  set  forth  in this section shall be construed to impede,
    25  infringe or diminish the rights and benefits that  accrue  to  employees
    26  and  employers  through  collective  bargaining agreements, or otherwise
    27  diminish the integrity of the collective bargaining relationship.
    28    4. For the purposes of this section:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13227-01-9
        S. 7788                             2

     1    a. "Student loan" shall mean any loan to a borrower to finance postse-
     2  condary education or expenses related to postsecondary education.
     3    b.  "Federal  student loan" means (i) any student loan issued pursuant
     4  to the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan  Program;  (ii)  any  student
     5  loan issued pursuant to the Federal Family Education Loan Program, which
     6  was  purchased  by  the  government of the United States pursuant to the
     7  federal Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act and is  presently
     8  owned  by  the  government  of  the  United  States; and (iii) any other
     9  student loan issued pursuant to a federal program that is identified  by
    10  the superintendent as a "federal student loan" in a regulation.
    11    5.  The president shall promulgate any rules and regulations necessary
    12  for the implementation of this section.
    13    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    14  it shall have become a law.