What's happening
This bill allows retired firefighters to work as fire science instructors at career and technical education centers without losing retirement benefits.
Why it matters
Encourages experienced firefighters to share their expertise. By letting retired firefighters teach fire science without losing pension benefits, the bill could attract skilled professionals into education, improving the quality of training for future firefighters.
Supports workforce development in fire sciences. Career and technical education centers may benefit from a broader pool of qualified instructors, potentially leading to more robust and effective fire science programs statewide.
Minimal financial impact on retirement systems. According to the fiscal note, the change is expected to affect few retirees and adds negligible annual costs, suggesting the policy is fiscally sustainable while still offering tangible benefits.
Potential to enhance public safety. Better-trained fire science students, taught by those with direct field experience, could ultimately lead to safer fire departments and improved emergency response in New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Retired Firefighters Teach
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Recommitted to rules
- Ordered to third reading cal.1831
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to civil service and pensions
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to governmental employees
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1332
Show 1 earlier action
- 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.
Let Retired Firefighters Teach
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Employees · Sponsor Aileen Gunther
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4479
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 15, 2017
Introduced by Sens. LARKIN, AKSHAR, BONACIC, DeFRANCISCO, ROBACH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
AN ACT to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to authorizing retired firefighters to be employed as instructor of fire sciences by a career and technical education center without diminution of his or her retirement benefits
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The retirement and social security law is amended by adding a new section 214-c to read as follows:
§ 214-c. Employment of certain retired persons who retired from fire service. Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter or the provisions of any state or local law or charter to the contrary, no retired person who retired from fire service as a member of the New York state and local police and fire retirement system or the New York fire department pension fund, and who is employed by a career and technical education center as an instructor in a fire science program approved by the education department, shall have his or her retirement allowance or benefits suspended or reduced because of compensation earned by such retired person from service as a fire science instructor.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
FISCAL NOTE.--This bill will allow firefighters of the New York State
and Local Police and Fire Retirement System or the New York City Fire
Department Pension Fund to work as a fire science instructor in a
program approved by the New York State Department of Education and to
continue to receive their retirement benefit.
If this bill is enacted, insofar as it will affect the New York State
and Local Police and Fire Retirement System, we expect few retirees to
be affected. There would be negligible additional annual costs.
Summary of relevant resources:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03657-02-7
S. 4479 2
The membership data used in measuring the impact of the proposed
change was the same as that used in the March 31, 2016 actuarial valu-
ation. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the 2016
Report of the Actuary and the 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial
Report.
The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the 2015
and 2016 Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and
the Codes Rules and Regulations of the State of New York: Audit and
Control.
The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in the March 31, 2016
New York State and Local Retirement System Financial Statements and
Supplementary Information.
I am a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meet the Quali-
fication Standards to render the actuarial opinion contained herein.
This estimate, dated January 19, 2017, and intended for use only
during the 2017 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2017-36,
prepared by the Actuary for the New York State and Local Retirement
System.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to authorizing retired firefighters to be employed as instructor of fire sciences by a career and technical education center without diminution of his or her retirement benefits
Purpose
To allow retired firefighters with knowledge and expertise in the profession to train the future generation of young firefighters without diminution of his or her retirement benefits.
Summary of provisions
Section 1-Amends the retirement and social security law by adding a new section 214-c. Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter or the provisions of any state or local law or charter to the contrary, no retired person who retired from fire service as a member of the New York state and local police and fire retirement system or the New York fire department pension fund, and who is employed by a career and technical education center as an instructor in a fire science program approved by the education department, shall have his or her retirement allowance or benefits suspended or reduced because of compensation earned by such retired person from service as a fire science instructor.
Section 2- This act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
This bill would permit retired firefighters to receive their pension payments while earning compensation for employment by a career and technical education center as an instructor in a fire science program approved by the education department. Retired firefighters possess the training, skills, and experience which make them an excellent resource of knowledge for New York's future generation of firefighters. Permitting such highly qualified retired public employees to receive pension payments while being employed as fire science instructors would provide an incentive for those retirees to pass on the knowledge that was acquired throughout their years of service to a new generation of firefighters.
Legislative history
2011/2012: S.4239-A-Passed Senate 2013/2014: S.274-B Passed Senate 2015: S.2747 Passed Senate 2016: S.2747-A Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
See fiscal note.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.