What's happening
This bill allows certain retired New York education employees to authorize automatic deductions for union dues, benefit plans, and voluntary political contributions from their retirement allowances.
Why it matters
Empowers retired education employees. by allowing them to easily maintain union membership and access union-sponsored benefits through automatic deductions, supporting their continued connection to labor organizations after retirement.
Facilitates ongoing participation in group benefit plans. (like insurance and welfare funds) sponsored by retiree organizations, helping retirees retain access to potentially lower-cost or specialized benefits negotiated by their unions.
Enables voluntary political contributions. to be automatically deducted and sent to union-affiliated political committees, making it easier for retirees to support advocacy efforts on issues important to their interests.
Streamlines administration and financial planning. by establishing clear processes for deductions and ensuring that the costs of administering political contribution deductions are covered by political committees, not retirees or the state.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Retirees Deduct Dues
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to governmental employees
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 54–5
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.229
- Referred to civil service and pensions
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to governmental employees
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 58–2
Show 4 earlier actions
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.524
- 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 Retirees Deduct Dues
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Employees · Sponsor Peter Abbate
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4489
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 13, 2019
Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to deductions of benefits of certain retired members
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 396-a to read as follows:
§ 396-a. Deductions from benefits of certain retired members. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an electing employee who is retired from the optional retirement system shall have the right, at any time after such electing employee's retirement, to execute and file a deduction authorization card with the designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller for employees of the state university and by the appropriate fiscal officer for employees of an electing employer authorizing the deduction from such electing employee's retirement allowance of membership dues and such electing employee's share of the cost for employee organization-sponsored benefit plans and the payment thereof to a retiree organization of which the electing employee is then a member and which is then affiliated with either an employee organization certified or recognized as the collective bargaining representative of all employees in the negotiating unit of which the electing employee was a part prior to his or her retirement or with an employee organization with which such employee organization is then affiliated. The designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller for employees of the state university and by the appropriate fiscal officer for employees of an electing employer shall thereafter deduct from the retirement allowance of such electing employee the amount of membership dues and such amounts required to be paid by such electing employee for such authorized employee organization-sponsored benefit plans, and shall transmit the sum so deducted to said retiree
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06630-01-9
S. 4489 2
organization. Such authorization shall continue in effect until revoked in writing by such electing employee. For purposes of this section, the term "employee organization-sponsored benefit plans" shall include any and all insurance plans and/or other benefit plans sponsored by such retiree organization whether provided by (a) a not-for-profit corporation licensed under article forty-three of the insurance law; (b) any insurance company authorized to do business in this state; (c) a health maintenance organization issued a certificate of authority pursuant to article forty-four of the public health law; or (d) a self-insurance arrangement, welfare fund or benefit fund.
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a retired elected employee shall have the right, at any time after his or her retirement, to execute and file a deduction authorization card with the designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller for employees of the state university and by the appropriate fiscal officer for employees of an electing employer authorizing the payment of voluntary contributions to the political committee, as defined in subdivision one of section 14-100 of the election law, of such electing employee's employee organization, provided such organization is certified or recognized pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law as the representative of all employees in the negotiating unit in which such retired electing employee was then employed. Such authorization shall continue in effect until revoked in writing by such electing employee. The designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller for employees of the state university and by the appropriate fiscal officer for employees of an electing employer shall determine the cost of administering deductions for voluntary contributions to the political committee and the cost incurred for administering such contributions shall be paid from the funds of the political committee.
§ 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6257 to read as follows:
§ 6257. Deductions from benefits of certain retired members. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a member who is retired from the board of higher education optional retirement program shall have the right, at any time after such member's retirement, to execute and file a deduction authorization card with the designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller authorizing the deduction from such member's retirement allowance of membership dues and such member's share of the cost for employee organization-sponsored benefit plans and the payment thereof to a retiree organization of which the member is then a member and which is then affiliated with either an employee organization certified or recognized as the collective bargaining representative of all employees in the negotiating unit of which the member was a part prior to his or her retirement or with an employee organization with which such employee organization is then affiliated. The designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller shall thereafter deduct from the retirement allowance of such member the amount of membership dues and such amounts required to be paid by such member for such authorized employee organization-sponsored benefit plans, and shall transmit the sum so deducted to said retiree organization. Such authorization shall continue in effect until revoked in writing by such member. For purposes of this section, the term "employee organization-sponsored benefit plans" shall include any and all insurance plans and/or other benefit plans sponsored by such retiree organization whether provided by (a) a not-for-profit corporation licensed under article forty-three of the insurance law; (b) any insurance compa-
S. 4489 3
ny authorized to do business in this state; (c) a health maintenance organization issued a certificate of authority pursuant to article forty-four of the public health law; or (d) a self-insurance arrangement, welfare fund or benefit fund.
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a retired member shall have the right, at any time after his or her retirement, to execute and file a deduction authorization card with the designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller authorizing the payment of voluntary contributions to the political committee, as defined in subdivision one of section 14-100 of the election law, of such member's employee organization, provided such organization is certified or recognized pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law as the representative of all employees in the negotiating unit in which such retired member was then employed. Such authorization shall continue in effect until revoked in writing by such member. The designated insurer or insurers upon audit and warrant of the comptroller shall determine the cost of administering deductions for voluntary contributions to the political committee and the cost incurred for administering such contributions shall be paid from the funds of the political committee.
§ 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to deductions of benefits of certain retired members
Purpose
To allow retired higher education professionals to make voluntary auto- matic contributions to their employee organizations, including but not limited to their political committees
Summary of provisions
Section one of this bill amends Article 8-B of the Education Law by adding a new section 398 to allow retired higher education professionals who elected to become members of the State University of New York (SUNY) optional retirement plan (ORP) to make voluntary automatic contributions to their employee organizations.
Section two of this bill amends Article 125-A of the Education Law by adding a new section 6257 to allow retired higher education profes- sionals who elected to become members of the City University of New York (CUNY) optional retirement plan (ORP) to make voluntary automatic contributions to their employee organizations.
Section three of this bill provides that this act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
Justification
In 1993, the State Education Law was amended to provide retired teachers with the ability to make automatic payroll deductions to their employee organizations for certain supplemental benefits. Ten years later, in 2003, the State Education Law was amended again to provide retired teachers with the ability to make voluntary automatic contributions to the political action committee of their employee organization. These changes gave retired teachers payroll deduction options that were, and remain, in parity with active classroom teachers. For both in-service and retired members, these automatic payment options are voluntarily authorized, save time and expense, and are revocable at any time.
However, up until now retired university professionals who chose to join the SUNY ORP or the CUNY ORP system have not been allowed to make auto- matic contributions from their retirement accounts. This legislation will expand existing provisions of )aw currently afforded to in-service and retired teachers, by allowing retired members of the SUNY ORP and the CUNY ORP to make automatic contributions to their employee organiza- tion for certain supplemental benefits and/or voluntary contributions to their employee organization's political committee. Retired members will not be required to participate and can revoke the automatic contribution authorization at any time.
Legislative history
2015 - 2016: S.5295 - Referred to Higher Education 2014: S.7438 - Referred to Higher Education
Fiscal implications
None to the State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.