Assembly Bill A1536

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to limitations on investments of public pension funds in fossil fuel companies

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly 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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Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

multi-Sponsors

2019-A1536 - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Governmental Employees
Law Section:
Retirement and Social Security Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §423, R & SS L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2015-2016: A8011
2017-2018: A3712

2019-A1536 - Summary

Limits investments of public pension funds in fossil fuel companies.

2019-A1536 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1536
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 15, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. ORTIZ, MOSLEY, FAHY, SIMON, THIELE, GOTTFRIED,
   SEAWRIGHT, O'DONNELL,  STECK,  ENGLEBRIGHT,  CARROLL,  GLICK,  COLTON,
   BLAKE,  NIOU,  JAFFEE,  RIVERA,  DAVILA, RODRIGUEZ, ZEBROWSKI, BARRON,
   L. ROSENTHAL, WOERNER, GUNTHER,  DINOWITZ,  PEOPLES-STOKES  --  Multi-
   Sponsored  by  --  M.    of  A.  COOK -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Governmental Employees
 
 AN ACT to amend the retirement and social security law, in  relation  to
   limitations on investments of public pension funds
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be  cited  as  the  "fossil
 fuel divestment act".
   § 2. Section 423 of the retirement and social security law, as amended
 by chapter 770 of the laws of 1970, is amended to read as follows:
   §  423.  Investments.    [a.]  1.  On  and after April first, nineteen
 hundred sixty-seven, the comptroller shall invest the  available  monies
 of  the common retirement fund in any investments and securities author-
 ized by law for each retirement system and shall hold  such  investments
 in his name as trustee of such fund, notwithstanding any other provision
 of  this  chapter.  Participating interests in such investments shall be
 credited to each retirement system in the manner and at the time  speci-
 fied  in  [paragraph] SUBDIVISION two of section four hundred twenty-two
 of this article.
   [b.] 2. (A) To assist in the management of the monies  of  the  common
 retirement  fund,  the  comptroller shall appoint an investment advisory
 committee consisting of not less than seven members who shall serve  for
 his  term of office. A vacancy occurring from any cause other than expi-
 ration of term shall be filled by the comptroller for the  remainder  of
 the term. Each member of the committee shall be experienced in the field
 of  investments  and shall have served, or shall be serving, as a senior
 officer or member of the board of an insurance company,  banking  corpo-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

co-Sponsors

multi-Sponsors

2019-A1536A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Governmental Employees
Law Section:
Retirement and Social Security Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §423, R & SS L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2015-2016: A8011
2017-2018: A3712

2019-A1536A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Limits investments of public pension funds in fossil fuel companies.

2019-A1536A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1536--A
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 15, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. ORTIZ, MOSLEY, FAHY, SIMON, THIELE, GOTTFRIED,
   SEAWRIGHT, O'DONNELL,  STECK,  ENGLEBRIGHT,  CARROLL,  GLICK,  COLTON,
   BLAKE,  NIOU,  JAFFEE,  RIVERA,  DAVILA, RODRIGUEZ, ZEBROWSKI, BARRON,
   L. ROSENTHAL,  WOERNER,  GUNTHER,  DINOWITZ,  PEOPLES-STOKES,   REYES,
   EPSTEIN,   GRIFFIN,   TAYLOR,   ARROYO,   RICHARDSON,  HYNDMAN,  CRUZ,
   PHEFFER AMATO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, DenDEKKER, RAMOS
   -- read once and referred to the Committee on  Governmental  Employees
   --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
   and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the retirement and social security law, in  relation  to
   limitations  on investments of public pension funds; and providing for
   the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  This  act  shall be known and may be cited as the "fossil
 fuel divestment act".
   § 2. Legislative findings. 1. a. Climate change is a real and  serious
 threat  to  the  health, welfare, and prosperity of all New Yorkers, now
 and in the future. Maintaining the status  quo  of  fossil  fuel  energy
 production will lead to catastrophic results.
   b.  The  United  Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has
 determined that in order to keep the increase in global average  temper-
 ature  below  1.5  degrees Celsius, global greenhouse gas emissions must
 decline by 45% by 2030, and reach net zero by 2050.
   c. As such, New York State has codified into law a goal of reaching  a
 40%  economy-wide  greenhouse  gas  emissions reduction relative to 1990
 levels by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050.
   d. The threat of climate change and the transformation of  the  global
 energy  system that will be necessary to mitigate it will have a serious
 negative impact on investors whose assets are not  aligned  with  a  1.5
 degree trajectory.

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

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