What's happening
This bill prohibits state and local authority employees from receiving bonuses except under strict, board-approved performance agreements.
Why it matters
Aligns state and local authority employee compensation with civil service standards. , aiming to reduce excessive or inconsistent bonus practices and ensure public sector pay is more predictable and transparent.
Mandates strict oversight for any performance-based bonuses. , requiring board-approved, pre-written agreements with clear, measurable goals and documented, board-ratified evaluations before any bonus is awarded—making it harder to grant arbitrary or subjective rewards.
Explicitly prohibits board members themselves from receiving any kind of bonus. , closing potential loopholes and addressing concerns about conflicts of interest or self-enrichment among authority leadership.
Prevents retroactive or “after the fact” bonuses. , ensuring bonuses cannot be awarded for work already completed or as disguised pay increases, thus reinforcing accountability and reducing the risk of backdoor compensation deals.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Bonuses for Public Officials
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3756
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to prohibiting bonuses for employees of state or local authorities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 2854 to read as follows:
§ 2854. Prohibition on payment of bonuses at state and local authorities. Notwithstanding any provision of law, compensation paid or otherwise provided to individuals employed by or on behalf of state or local authorities shall be limited to compensation and benefits comparable to those benefits provided to civil service employees, and, if applicable, reimbursement of expenses. No bonus of any nature shall be paid to any individual employed by or on behalf of a state or local authority unless the bonus is paid pursuant to a written agreement with performance goals, executed and ratified by the board of the state or local authority before the performance is rendered. Prior to awarding the bonus, a written evaluation of the performance rendered, in comparison to the predetermined performance goals, shall be ratified by the board and recorded in the board minutes. Nothing in this section shall supersede any collective bargaining agreement entered into prior to the effective date of this section. In no event shall members of the board of a state or local authority receive a bonus of any nature. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize payment of after the fact bonuses or payments for performance already rendered and fully compensated, including but not limited to a retroactive pay increase or incentive payment.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07505-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.