Requires certain changes to service award programs to be subject to a mandatory referendum

BILL NUMBER:S4680

Title of bill

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to service award programs

Purpose or general idea of bill

The purpose of this bill is to make changes to the volunteer ambulance service award program including requiring a mandatory referendum for certain changes and authorizing a lowering of the entitlement to age 55.

Summary of specific provisions

Sections one and three of the bill amend the General Municipal law to require a mandatory referendum any time a volunteer ambulance service award program is amended to Increase the number of points granted for an activity or if the amount of activity required to earn points is decreased. These section also provide that amendments to a service award program will only take effect as of the first of January next succeeding the adoption of the amendment and prohibit retroactive amendments.

Section two of the bill amends the General Municipal Law to authorize program sponsors to lower the entitlement age for defined benefit service award programs to fifty-five.

Section four contains the effective date.

Justification

Volunteer ambulance service award programs are Intended to serve as recruitment and incentive tools by providing volunteers with pension-like benefits. This legislation seeks to provide ambulance workers parity with the volunteer firefighters' service award program, which authorizes program sponsors of defined benefit programs to have an entitlement age as low as fifty-five. In addition, this legislation also creates parity with volunteer firefighter service award programs by requiring a mandatory referendum for amendments to a program that could potentially lead to higher costs for taxpayers.

Prior legislative history

2006: A.11925 -- Assembly Local Governments Cmte. 2007-08: Senate Local Government Cmte./Assembly Local Governments Cmte. 2009-10: S.4486 Local Government Cmte.

Fiscal implications

None to the State.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed by the state comptroller on or before such date.