STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7877
IN SENATE
May 19, 2016
___________
Introduced by Sen. CROCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to service award
programs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 8 of section 219-d of the
2 general municipal law, as amended by chapter 514 of the laws of 1998, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 (b) The entitlement age, the number of years of ambulance service
5 required to obtain a nonforfeitable right to a service award, and the
6 activities for which points shall be granted toward a year of ambulance
7 service may be changed by resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of
8 at least sixty percent of the governing board of the sponsor without
9 referendum; provided, that, consistent with the provisions of subdivi-
10 sion three of section two hundred nineteen-m of this chapter, if the
11 effect of the amendment is to increase the number of points granted for
12 the performance of the activity, decrease the amount of an activity
13 required to earn the points granted for the performance of the activity,
14 or both, such amendment shall be subject to a mandatory referendum. Any
15 amendment to a service award program shall only take effect as of the
16 first of January next succeeding completion of the proceedings required
17 for adoption of the amendment and shall only apply prospectively.
18 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 219-k of the general municipal law, as
19 added by chapter 558 of the laws of 1998, is amended to read as follows:
20 3. ["Entitlement age" means age sixty-five and, except in the case of
21 disability or death, shall be the earliest age at which a participant
22 who has a nonforfeitable right to a service award is entitled to apply
23 for and begin receiving a service award.] "Entitlement age" means the
24 age designated by the sponsor at which a program participant is entitled
25 to begin receiving an unreduced service award. In no event shall the
26 entitlement age under a program be earlier than age fifty-five nor later
27 than the age at which the participant can receive an unreduced benefit
28 under Title II of the Social Security Act (Public Law 74-271 U.S.C. 306
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15551-01-6
S. 7877 2
1 et seq.). No service award program may provide for the payment of bene-
2 fits (except in the case of death or disability) before age fifty-five.
3 § 3. Paragraph (h) of subdivision 5 of section 219-l of the general
4 municipal law, as added by chapter 558 of the laws of 1998, is amended
5 and a new paragraph (i) is added to read as follows:
6 (h) the date on which the proposition authorizing the adoption of the
7 program shall be submitted to referendum[.]; and
8 (i) entitlement age- the age at which volunteers are eligible to begin
9 receiving service awards.
10 § 4. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 9 of section 219-l of the general
11 municipal law, as added by chapter 558 of the laws of 1998, is amended
12 to read as follows:
13 (b) The activities for which points shall be granted toward a year of
14 ambulance service may be changed by resolution adopted by the affirma-
15 tive vote of at least sixty percent of the governing board of the spon-
16 sor without referendum; provided, that, consistent with the provisions
17 of subdivision three of section two hundred nineteen-m of this article,
18 if the effect of the amendment is to increase the number of points
19 granted for the performance of the activity, decrease the amount of an
20 activity required to earn the points granted for the performance of the
21 activity, or both, such amendment shall be subject to a mandatory refer-
22 endum. Any amendment to a service award program shall only take effect
23 as of the first of January next succeeding completion of the proceedings
24 required for adoption of the amendment and shall only apply prospective-
25 ly.
26 § 5. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
27 ing the date on which it shall have become a law; provided, however,
28 that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
29 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its
30 effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed by
31 the state comptroller on or before such date.