What's happening
This bill allows children and siblings of fallen firefighters, police, EMTs, and paramedics to receive extra points on promotional civil service exams.
Why it matters
Expands recognition for families of fallen first responders. By including siblings (not just children) of firefighters, police, EMTs, and paramedics killed in the line of duty, the bill broadens the group eligible for extra civil service exam points, acknowledging the broader impact of such losses on families.
Provides a tangible, ongoing career advantage. The addition of five extra points for promotional exams can make a meaningful difference in career advancement, helping affected family members achieve higher ranks and better pay over their careers.
Encourages retention and advancement within public service. By applying benefits to promotional (not just entry-level) exams in the same municipality, the bill incentivizes family members of fallen heroes to remain in or return to public sector careers, potentially strengthening community ties and institutional experience.
Establishes clear procedures and limits to prevent repeated advantage. The bill includes detailed administrative rules, such as requiring proof of eligibility, limiting the benefit to a single use per person, and allowing candidates to relinquish points if they choose, ensuring fairness and preventing abuse of the system.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Extra Exam Points for Survivors
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to civil service and pensions
- Referred to civil service and pensions
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Extra Exam Credit for Heroes' Families
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Peter Abbate
Full text
6 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1627
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2017
Introduced by Sen. GOLDEN -- 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 promotional exams
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 85-a of the civil service law, as amended by chapter 376 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
§ 85-a. Additional credits allowed children and siblings of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics killed in the line of duty. 1. Additional credit authorized. Additional credits shall be allowed children and siblings of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics killed in the line of duty, as "child" and "sibling" in this section in competitive examinations for original appointment. (a) On all eligible lists resulting from competitive examinations, the names of eligible persons shall be entered in the order of their respective final earned ratings on examinations, with the name of the eligible person with the highest final earned ratings at the head of such list, provided, however, that for the purpose of determining final earned ratings, children and siblings of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent or sibling has served and an additional five points in a competitive examination for promotion in the same municipality in which his or her parent or sibling has served. For the purposes of this paragraph, a police officer or firefighter shall be deemed to have "served" in a municipality if he or she was employed by, or worked primarily in, that municipality.
(b) Such additional credit shall be added to the final earned rating of such child or sibling, as the case may be, after he or she has quali-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04214-01-7
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fied in the competitive examination and shall be granted only at the time of establishment of the resulting eligible list.
2. Application for additional credit; proof of eligibility; establishment of eligible list. Any candidate, believing himself or herself entitled to additional credit in a competitive examination as provided in this section, may make application for such additional credit at any time between the date of his or her application for examination and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. Such candidates shall be allowed a period of not less than two months from the date of the filing of his or her application for examination in which to establish by appropriate documentary proof his or her eligibility to receive additional credit under this section. At any time after two months have elapsed since the final date for filing applications for a competitive examination for original appointment or promotion, the eligible list resulting from such examination may be established, notwithstanding the fact that a child or sibling who has applied for additional credit has failed to establish his or her eligibility to receive such additional credit. A candidate who fails to establish, by appropriate documentary proof, his or her eligibility to receive additional credit by the time an eligible list is established shall not thereafter be granted additional credit on such eligible list.
3. Use of additional credit. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, no person who has received a permanent original appointment or a permanent promotion in the civil service of the state or of any city or civil division thereof from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed the additional credit granted by this section as a child or sibling, shall thereafter be entitled to any additional credit under this section as a child or sibling.
(b) Where, at the time of establishment of an eligible list, the position of a child or sibling on such list has not been affected by the addition of credits granted under this section, the appointment or promotion of such child or sibling from such eligible list shall not be deemed to have been made from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed the additional credit granted by this section.
(c) If, at the time of appointment from an eligible list, a child or sibling is in the same relative standing among the eligible persons who are willing to accept appointment as if he or she had not been granted the additional credits as provided by this section, his or her appointment from such eligible persons shall not be deemed to have been made from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed such additional credits.
(d) Where a child or sibling has been originally appointed or promoted from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed such additional credit, but such appointment or promotion is thereafter terminated either at the end of the probationary term or by resignation at or before the end of the probationary term, he or she shall not be deemed to have been appointed or promoted, as the case may be, from an eligible list on which he or she is allowed additional credit, and such appointment or promotion shall not affect his or her eligibility for additional credit in other examinations.
4. Withdrawal of application; election to relinquish additional credit. An application for additional credit in a competitive examination under this section may be withdrawn by the applicant at any time prior to the establishment of the resulting eligible list. At any time during the term of existence of an eligible list resulting from a competitive examination in which a child or sibling has received the additional
S. 1627 3
credit granted by this section, such child or sibling may elect, prior to permanent original appointment or permanent promotion, to relinquish the additional credit theretofore granted to him or her and accept the lower position on such eligible list to which he or she would otherwise have been entitled; provided, however, that such election shall thereafter be irrevocable. Such election shall be in writing and signed by the child or sibling, and transmitted to the department or the appropriate municipal civil service commission.
5. Roster. The department and each municipal commission shall establish and maintain in its office a roster of all such children or siblings appointed or promoted as a result of additional credits granted by this section to positions under its jurisdiction. The appointment or promotion of a child or sibling as a result of additional credits shall be void if such child or sibling, prior to such appointment or promotion, had been appointed or promoted as a result of additional credits granted by this section.
§ 2. Subdivisions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of section 85-b of the civil service law, as amended by chapter 376 of the laws of 2013, are amended to read as follows:
2. Additional credit authorized. Additional credits shall be allowed children and siblings of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty in competitive examinations for original appointment or permanent promotion. (a) On all eligible lists resulting from competitive examinations, the names of eligible persons shall be entered in the order of their respective final earned ratings on examinations, with the name of the eligible person with the highest final earned ratings at the head of such list, provided, however, that for the purpose of determining final earned ratings, children and siblings of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent or sibling has served and an additional five points in a competitive examination for promotion in the same municipality in which his or her parent or sibling has served.
(b) Such additional credit shall be added to the final earned rating of such child or sibling, as the case may be, after he or she has qualified in the competitive examination and shall be granted only at the time of establishment of the resulting eligible list.
3. Application for additional credit; proof of eligibility; establishment of eligible list. Any candidate, believing himself or herself entitled to additional credit in a competitive examination as provided in this section, may make application for such additional credit at any time between the date of his or her application for examination and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. Such candidates shall be allowed a period of not less than two months from the date of the filing of his or her application for examination in which to establish by appropriate documentary proof his or her eligibility to receive additional credit under this section. At any time after two months have elapsed since the final date for filing applications for a competitive examination for original appointment or promotion, the eligible list resulting from such examination may be established, notwithstanding the fact that a child or sibling who has applied for additional credit has failed to establish his or her eligibility to receive such additional credit. A candidate who fails to establish, by appropriate documentary proof, his or her eligibility to receive addi-
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tional credit by the time an eligible list is established shall not thereafter be granted additional credit on such eligible list.
4. Use of additional credit. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, no person who has received a permanent original appointment or a permanent promotion in the civil service of the state or of any city or civil division thereof from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed the additional credit granted by this section as a child or sibling, shall thereafter be entitled to any additional credit under this section as a child or sibling.
(b) Where, at the time of establishment of an eligible list, the position of a child or sibling on such list has not been affected by the addition of credits granted under this section, the appointment or promotion of such child or sibling from such eligible list shall not be deemed to have been made from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed the additional credit granted by this section.
(c) If, at the time of appointment from an eligible list, a child or sibling is in the same relative standing among the eligible persons who are willing to accept appointment as if he or she had not been granted the additional credits as provided by this section, his or her appointment from such eligible persons shall not be deemed to have been made from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed such additional credits.
(d) Where a child or sibling has been originally appointed or promoted from an eligible list on which he or she was allowed such additional credit, but such appointment or promotion is thereafter terminated either at the end of the probationary term or by resignation at or before the end of the probationary term, he or she shall not be deemed to have been appointed or promoted, as the case may be, from an eligible list on which he or she is allowed additional credit, and such appointment shall not affect his or her eligibility for additional credit in other examinations.
5. Withdrawal of application; election to relinquish additional credit. An application for additional credit in a competitive examination under this section may be withdrawn by the applicant at any time prior to the establishment of the resulting eligible list. At any time during the term of existence of an eligible list resulting from a competitive examination in which a child or sibling has received the additional credit granted by this section, such child or sibling may elect, prior to permanent original appointment or permanent promotion, to relinquish the additional credit theretofore granted to him or her and accept the lower position on such eligible list to which he or she would otherwise have been entitled; provided, however, that such election shall thereafter be irrevocable. Such election shall be in writing and signed by the child or sibling, and transmitted to the department or the appropriate municipal civil service commission.
6. Roster. The department and each municipal commission shall establish and maintain in its office a roster of all such children and siblings appointed or promoted as a result of additional credits granted by this section to positions under its jurisdiction. The appointment or promotion of a child or sibling as a result of additional credits shall be void if such child or sibling, prior to such appointment or promotion, had been appointed or promoted as a result of additional credits granted by this section.
§ 3. Subdivisions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of section 85-c of the civil service law, as amended by chapter 376 of the laws of 2013, are amended to read as follows:
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2. Additional credit authorized. Additional credits shall be allowed children and siblings of emergency medical technicians killed in the line of duty in competitive examinations for original appointment or permanent promotion.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to promotional exams
Purpose
This bill would allow children and siblings of firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians killed in the line of duty additional points on a competitive examination for promotion.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill amends section 85-a of the Civil Service Law to grant the children and siblings of firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians killed in the line of duty an additional five points on a competitive promotional exam for a position in the same municipality that the candidate's deceased parent or sibling served. Candidates who receive a permanent appointment based upon the points granted by this section may not use the points granted by this section to receive another permanent appointment.
Read the full memo (626 words)
Section two of the bill amends subdivisions two, three, four, five and six of section 85-b of the Civil Service Law to grant the children and siblings of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty as a result of the September 1 1 th cleanup and recovery efforts an additional five points on a competitive promotional exam for a position in the same municipality that the candidate's deceased parent or sibling served. Candidates who receive a permanent appointment based upon the points granted by this section may not use the points granted by this section to receive another permanent appointment.
Section three of the bill amends subdivisions two, three, four, five and six of section 85c of the Civil Service Law to grant the children and siblings of emergency medical technicians killed in the line of duty as a result of the September 11th cleanup and recovery efforts an additional five points on a competitive promotional exam for a position in the same municipality that the candidate's deceased parent or sibling served. Candidates who receive a permanent appointment based upon the points granted by this section may not use the points granted by this section to receive another permanent appointment.
Section four of the bill provides that this act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
Chapter 376 of the Laws of 2013 amended Civil Service Law sections 85-a, 85-b, and 85-c to ensure that children and siblings of firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians who were killed in the line of duty or died as a result of the September 1 1 th rescue and recovery efforts receive ten additional points on competitive examinations for original appointments. This bill provides five additional points on competitive examinations for a permanent promotion to children and siblings of deceased firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians who were killed in the line of duty died as a result of the September 11th rescue and recovery efforts.
Many of the firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians who gave their lives in service to New York City are survived by children or siblings who were employed by the City at the time of their death. Under the current law, these children and siblings cannot receive additional points on promotional examinations. This bill would afford those children and siblings who have not used the additional points granted to the children and siblings of firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians who were killed in the line of duty or died as a result of the September 1 1 th rescue and recovery efforts the opportunity to receive an additional five points on a competitive examination for permanent promotion.
Legislative history
2015 - 2016: S. 3231 - Referred to Civil Service and Pensions both years 2014: S.6497 - Referred to Civil Service and Pensions
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
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