What's happening
This bill prohibits elected officials from receiving salary or pension credit for serving as delegates or staff at a constitutional convention.
Why it matters
Prevents "double-dipping" by elected officials. The bill ensures that officials serving as delegates or staff at a constitutional convention cannot collect both their regular government salary and additional compensation for convention work at the same time.
Closes a pension loophole. By prohibiting service at a constitutional convention from being counted toward pension credit, the bill blocks officials from boosting their retirement benefits through temporary convention roles.
Addresses public trust and ethics concerns. The legislation seeks to reduce potential conflicts of interest and reinforce the principle that public service at a constitutional convention should not be used for personal financial gain.
Allows for reimbursement of actual expenses. While salary and pension credit are restricted, the bill still permits reimbursement for legitimate expenses incurred during convention service, ensuring officials are not personally out-of-pocket for necessary costs.
Albany, before your first meeting.
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Who cares
State and municipal elected officials in local pension systems
They would be barred from receiving convention pay while drawing their elected salary and from counting convention service toward their pension calculation.
Local pension system administrators
They would need to exclude covered officials’ constitutional convention time, salary and wages from pension calculations.
Constitutional convention payroll administrators
They would need to withhold convention salary and wage credits from covered officials receiving elected-office salaries, while reimbursement for actual convention expenses would remain allowed.
Headline styles
Stop Double-Dipping Convention Pay
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 108
4 Multi-sponsors
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Referred to governmental operations
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6499
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 7, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. McDONALD -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the legislative law and the retirement and social security law, in relation to prohibiting elected officials from receiving compensation or pension credit for service as a delegate, officer or employee of a constitutional convention
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 66-c to read as follows:
§ 66-c. Constitutional conventions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this chapter or any other general or local law, charter or code, any elected official of the state or of any municipality of the state, who is a member of a local pension system, and who at the time of his or her tenure as an elected official, also serves as a delegate, officer or employee of a convention to revise and amend the constitution of the state shall not be entitled to: (i) receive salary or have wages paid or credited to him or her for such convention service while he or she is receiving salary as an elected official; or (ii) have time, salary or wages otherwise credited to or creditable to him or her for service at such constitutional convention included in the calculation of his or her credited time for purposes of pension calculation. Nothing in this section shall prohibit such person from receiving reimbursement for expenses actually incurred by him or her in the course of his or her service as a delegate, officer or employee of such constitutional convention.
§ 2. Section 44 of the retirement and social security law is amended by adding a new subdivision g to read as follows:
g. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this chapter or any other general or local law, charter or code, any elected official of the state or of any municipality of the state, who is a member of a
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09677-01-7
A. 6499 2
local pension system, and who at the time of his or her tenure as an elected official, also serves as a delegate, officer or employee of a convention to revise and amend the constitution of the state shall not be entitled to: (i) receive salary or have wages paid or credited to him or her for such convention service while he or she is receiving salary as an elected official; or (ii) to have time, salary or wages otherwise credited to or creditable to him or her for service at such constitutional convention included in the calculation of his or her credited time for purposes of pension calculation. Nothing in this subdivision shall prohibit such person from receiving reimbursement for expenses actually incurred by him or her in the course of his or her service as a delegate, officer or employee of such constitutional convention.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to service at any constitutional convention held on or after such date.
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.