What's happening
This bill allows certain retired police officers and firefighters to work as faculty or public safety directors at SUNY or community colleges without losing retirement benefits.
Why it matters
Expands post-retirement employment options. for retired police officers and firefighters by allowing them to work as faculty or public safety directors at SUNY and community colleges without risking their pension benefits, potentially making these positions more attractive to experienced public safety professionals.
Addresses campus safety and expertise shortages. by enabling colleges to tap into the experience of retired law enforcement and fire personnel for teaching and leadership roles, which could enhance safety education and emergency preparedness.
Imposes specific limitations. by not allowing waivers for retirees seeking university law enforcement positions, focusing instead on faculty and director of public safety roles, thereby maintaining a boundary between retired officers and direct law enforcement employment on campus.
Minimal fiscal impact. is anticipated, with the bill’s actuary expecting only a small number of retirees to utilize this option, meaning there should be negligible additional cost to the retirement system or taxpayers.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Retired Officers Teach
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to governmental employees
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 60–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.527
- 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 Officers Teach
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Employees · Sponsor Kenneth Zebrowski
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7667
IN SENATE
February 6, 2018
Introduced by Sen. STAVISKY -- 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 a waiver of earnings limitation for certain retirees of the New York state and local police and fire retirement system who are employed by the state university
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subparagraphs 6 and 7 of paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 211 of the retirement and social security law, subparagraph 6 as amended by chapter 753 of the laws of 1976 and subparagraph 7 as amended by chapter 840 of the laws of 1983, are amended and a new subparagraph 8 is added to read as follows:
(6) the chancellor of state university if such person is to be employed in the unclassified service of the state university of New York, or in the professional service at the state colleges of agriculture, home economics, veterinary medicine or industrial and labor relations, the state agricultural experiment station at Geneva or any other institution or agency under the management and control of Cornell university as representative of the board of trustees of the state university of New York, or at the state college of ceramics under the management and control of Alfred university as representative of the board of trustees of the state university of New York or in the unclassified service of a community college other than those in the city of New York, or if such person is a retired member of the New York state and local police and fire retirement system and is to be employed as a faculty member, provided, however, that no waiver shall be granted pursuant to this subdivision for any university law enforcement title; or
(7) the chief administrator of the courts if such person is to be employed in a judicial or nonjudicial position in the unified court system[.]; or
(8) the president of a community college under a program of the state university of New York, if such person is a retired member of the New
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04504-02-8
S. 7667 2
York state and local police and fire retirement system and is to be employed as a member of the faculty or as director of public safety.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
This bill will allow retired police officers and retired firefighters
of the New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System to
work as an employee of the state university as a faculty member or to
work as an employee of a community college as a faculty member or direc-
tor of public safety and continue to receive their retirement benefits,
without suspension or diminution of such benefits, provided they have
been granted a waiver of retirement earnings limitations by the chancel-
lor of the state university of New York or the president of a community
college under a program of the state university.
If this bill is enacted, we expect few retirees of the New York State
and Local Police and Fire Retirement System to be affected. There would
be negligible additional annual costs.
Summary of relevant resources:
The membership data used in measuring the impact of the proposed
change was the same as that used in the March 31, 2017 actuarial valu-
ation. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the 2017
Report of the Actuary and the 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial
Report.
The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in 2015,
2016, and 2017 Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assump-
tions, 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, 2017
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 31, 2018, and intended for use only
during the 2018 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2018-50,
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 a waiver of earnings limitation for certain retirees of the New York state and local police and fire retirement system who are employed by the state university
Purpose or general idea of bill
Permits retired police and firefighter officers to re-enter public service for the state university of New York or a community college under the program of the State University of New York as a faculty member, or as director of public safety for a community college.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1. Subdivision six of subdivision 2 of section 211 of the retirement and social security law is amended to allow for waiver of public service income restrictions to be granted by the SUNY chancellor for a retired member of the Police and Fire Retirement System to work as a faculty member at a SUNY school.
A new subdivision eight of subdivision 2 of section 211 of the retire- ment and social security law is added to allow for a waiver to be grant- ed by the president of a community college if the would-be employee is a Police and Fire Retirement System member and is to be employed as a faculty member or director of public safety at such a community college.
Justification
Unlike New York's public employee retirees, private sector and non New York public retirees are not restricted in the amount of earnings they can receive if they choose to return to New York public employment after retirement. New York public service retirees must be granted a waiver pursuant to Section 211 of the Retirement and Social
Security Law in order to earn over $30,000 per year or be subject to a reduction in their retirement benefits. Currently, there are numerous New York retirees who are valuable law enforcement personnel who are essential members of the faculty and instructors in the areas of crimi- nal justice and law enforcement, and contribute to the public safety on SUNY's college campuses.
Enactment of this legislation will dramatically broaden the pool of eligible candidates for SUNY and community colleges in the teaching faculty and director of public safety at a community college. This will contribute greatly to education and security of the campuses of the State University of New York.
Prior legislative history
Previously introduced with Assemblyman Zebrowski.
Fiscal implications
A fiscal note is attached to the bill. A qualified member of the Ameri- can Academy of Actuaries estimates that, if this bill is enacted, few retirees of the NYS and Local Police and Retirement system will be affected. There would be negligible additional annual costs.
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.