NY State Senate Bill 2009-S4842

Senate Bill S4842

2009-2010 Legislative Session

Provides for a salary cap on the chancellor of the state or city university of New York to $250 k of public funds; and no state officer's salary shall exceed the gov

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2010	referred to finance
Apr 27, 2009	referred to finance

2009-S4842 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2930
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §169, Exec L

2009-S4842 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides for a salary/benefits package cap on the chancellor of the state or city university of New York to $250,000 of public funds; and no state officer's salary shall equal or exceed the governor's salary.

2009-S4842 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S4842

 TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to placing a limit on
the annual salary and benefits package of the chancellor of the state
university


 PURPOSE OF BILL :
Provides for a salary cap on the chancellor of the state or city
university of New York to $250,000 of public funds and sets in statute
that no state officer's salary and benefits shall exceed that of the
governor's.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :
Section 1 amends subdivision 2 of section 169 of the executive law to
establish that no salary plan for the chancellor of the state or city
university of New York shall include a salary and benefits package
exceeding $250,000 allocated from public funds.  Subdivision 4 of
section 169 of the executive law is added to prohibit any state entity
from increasing the salary of a state officer, or increase a state
officers' employee benefits, if the annual salary at the time or with
the increase would exceed the annual salary of the governor.

Section 2 sets the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :
Currently, the Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY)
receives a $250,000 salary and a $90,000 housing allowance, as well as
car and driver service costing taxpayers $175,000. At present, the
Chancellor's income exceeds that of the governor by more than $70,000.

It can be argued that while the state faces the prospect of raising
tuition that the chancellor's salary and benefits package exceeding
$300,000 could be useful for lowering class sizes, recruiting and
retaining more faculty members, lower tuition, protect important
programs that could face elimination, and create additional aid and
scholarships for students. Further, in the Chronicle of Higher
Education, authors Roger Bowen and Jane Buck assert that an overly
generous compensation package - such as the one the SUNY Chancellor
receives - can convey to students, faculty and the taxpaying public
that the state university system's first priority is the chief
executive rather than the education that our students receive. This
bill seeks to curb this dangerous trend and protect the high quality
of our student's education while limiting the compensation of the
chancellor. According to the National Conference of State
Legislatures, other states such as Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma, have
either considered or passed legislation to limit the compensation of
university presidents and other state employees.

Finally, this legislation will not only create a cap on the
chancellor's salary and benefits, but will also prohibit any state
employee from receiving a salary and benefits package that exceeds the
governor's salary.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
New bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
None. In fact, the state could experience a net savings in the
long-run with the enactment of this bill.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
Immediately.

2009-S4842 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4842

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             April 27, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced by Sen. AUBERTINE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to placing a limit on the
  annual  salary  and  benefits  package  of the chancellor of the state
  university

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 169 of the executive law, as added
by  chapter  263 of the laws of 1987, is amended and a new subdivision 4
is added to read as follows:
  3. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section  or  any  other
provision  of law, the boards of trustees of the state university of New
York and the city university of New York shall each establish and imple-
ment salary plans for the chancellors, presidents and senior  staffs  of
such  state and city universities, respectively; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT
NO SUCH SALARY PLAN FOR THE CHANCELLOR OF THE STATE OR  CITY  UNIVERSITY
OF  NEW  YORK  SHALL INCLUDE A SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE EXCEEDING TWO
HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($250,000) ALLOCATED FROM  PUBLIC  FUNDS.
The  board  of  regents  shall establish and implement a separate salary
plan for the president of the university  of  the  state  of  New  York,
setting  forth  the  compensation  to  be  received by the president for
performing the duties of that  office  assigned  by  the  rules  of  the
regents  or  statute,  which  shall  be  in addition to the compensation
received by such person pursuant to the provisions of  subdivisions  one
and  two  of  this section.   Such salary plans shall be developed after
consultation with the governor's office of employee  relations  and  the
division  of the budget.  Any increase in compensation for the positions
set forth in this subdivision, not otherwise funded from  any  appropri-
ation,  shall be funded from reallocations of funds within the appropri-
ations specifically identified by the aforementioned boards. Each  board
of  trustees  and the board of regents shall file a proposed salary plan

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02327-01-9

S. 4842                             2

report with the chairs of the senate finance committee and the  assembly
ways  and  means committee and the director of the budget at least sixty
days prior to the effective date of such salary plan. Each  salary  plan
report  shall  set  forth the salary schedule, the dollar value of addi-
tional public compensation and other employment benefits that such posi-
tions would receive, the specific sources of funding to  be  reallocated
for  salary  increases,  the  amount  of increase to be provided to each
position, the comparison salary data on which the  plan  is  based,  and
such  other  information  as  the  boards  of  trustees and the board of
regents deem appropriate.
  4. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION OF THIS SECTION OR PROVISION  OF  LAW
TO  THE  CONTRARY,  NO STATE ENTITY SHALL INCREASE THE SALARY OF A STATE
OFFICER, OR INCREASE A STATE OFFICERS' EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, IF THE  ANNUAL
SALARY  OF THAT STATE OFFICER AT THE TIME EQUALS OR EXCEEDS, OR WITH THE
INCREASE WOULD EQUAL OR EXCEED, THE ANNUAL SALARY OF THE GOVERNOR.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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