What's happening
This bill allows New York City sanitation workers with two or more years of service to live in surrounding counties.
Why it matters
Expands the pool of eligible sanitation workers for New York City by allowing those with at least two years of service to live in neighboring counties, not just within city limits. This change could help the city recruit and retain more experienced workers who seek more affordable or desirable housing outside the city.
Aligns sanitation workers’ residency requirements with those of other municipal employees who already benefit from similar flexibility,. addressing longstanding disparities and potentially improving morale and job satisfaction among the workforce.
May have broader impacts on housing markets in surrounding counties,. as more city workers could move to nearby areas, affecting demand for housing and community demographics.
Could improve emergency response and workforce reliability. by making it easier for experienced workers to remain employed with the city even as their family or financial situations change, reducing turnover and maintaining institutional knowledge.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ease Sanitation Worker Residency Rules
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Substituted by A7070A
- Amended on third reading 5438a
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.613
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to governmental operations
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 49–13
- Ordered to third reading cal.1957
Show 2 earlier actions
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to investigations and government operations
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.
Loosen Sanitation Residency Rules
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Peter Abbate
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5438--A Cal. No. 613
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 28, 2017
Introduced by Sen. GOLDEN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations -- recommitted to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to residency requirements for members of municipal departments of sanitation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2-a of section 3 of the public officers law, as amended by chapter 200 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
2-a. Neither the provisions of this section, nor of any general, special or local law, charter, code, ordinance, resolution, rule or regulation, requiring a person to be a resident of the political subdivision or municipal corporation of the state for which he shall be chosen or within which his official functions are required to be exercised, shall apply to the appointment of a member of the department of sanitation of any municipality of the state who resides in a county within the state contiguous to such municipality. A member of the department of sanitation of any political subdivision or municipal corporation who has five or more years of service or in the case of a member of the department of sanitation in a city with a population of one million or more who has two or more years of service to such city may reside (a) in a county in which such political subdivision or municipal corporation is located; or (b) in a county within the state contiguous to the county in which such political subdivision or municipal corporation is located; or (c) in a county within the state contiguous to such political subdivision or municipal corporation; or (d) in a
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10829-07-8
S. 5438--A 2
county within the state which is not more than fifteen miles from such political subdivision or municipal corporation.
§ 2. Subdivision 5 of section 30 of the public officers law, as separately amended by chapters 200 and 209 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
5. Neither the provisions of this section, nor of any general, special or local law, charter, code, ordinance, resolution, rule or regulation, creating a vacancy in a local office of a political subdivision or municipal corporation if the incumbent thereof ceases to be a resident of such political subdivision or municipal corporation, shall apply in the case of a paid member of the uniformed force of a paid fire department, who, for purposes of this section shall include persons employed as fire alarm dispatchers, or in the case of a person employed in a department of correction in the correction service of the classified civil service, or in the case of a member of the department of sanitation of any political subdivision or municipal corporation who has five or more years of service, or in the case of officers and inspectors employed in a department of health of a city of over one million population, or in the case of a member of the department of sanitation in a city with a population of one million or more who has two or more years of service to such city who resides (a) in the county in which said city is located; or (b) in a county within the state contiguous to the county in which said city is located; or (c) in a county within the state contiguous to such city; or (d) in a county within the state which is not more than fifteen miles from said city; or (e) in a county within the state contiguous to a county described in item (d) hereof where the former is less than thirty miles from such political subdivision or municipal corporation, measured from their respective nearest boundary lines.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to residency requirements for members of municipal departments of sani- tation
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill seeks to allow members of the municipal sanitation departments the same rights regarding residency as other city employees after two years of service.
Summary of provisions
This legislation would amend subdivision 2-a of Section 3 of the Public Officers Law to a municipal sanitation employee who has served for two Years in any city with a population of one million or more to reside in a political subdivision or municipal corporation which is not located more than 15 miles from the municipality which employs them.
Justification
The statutory residency rights of New York City Uniformed Sanitation workers were won after negotiations with the State Legislature and New York City over thirty years ago. These residency rights allow members of the Department of Sanitation to reside in Nassau and Westchester Coun- ties, in addition to the five boroughs of New York City.
Since that time, the cost of living in New York City and the counties immediately surrounding it has skyrocketed. The prospect of owning a home in Nassau and Westchester has become almost as remote as the pros- pect of owning a home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
The State Legislature has extended the residency rights of other New York City employees, including the Police Department, to include Rock- land, Orange, Putnam and Suffolk Counties. As a matter of equity and parity, Uniformed Sanitation workers should also be allowed to reside in these areas. They are subject to the same economic factors as other city employees and should therefore be afforded the same residency rights.
Additionally, it should be noted that New York City would not be finan- cially affected by the proposed legislation for it would still receive its share of tax revenue, as members would still be required to pay taxes on income earned in New York City.
Prior legislative history
2017: S.5438 - Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
None.
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.