S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  2239--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 14, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. STERN, SIMPSON -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Local Governments -- committee discharged, bill  amended,
   ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to authorizing a
   municipality to increase the number of years of service that a partic-
   ipant in a defined  contribution  plan  service  award  program  or  a
   defined benefit plan service award program may receive a contribution
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision (b) of section 218  of  the  general  municipal
 law,  as  amended by chapter 474 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read
 as follows:
   (b) The sponsor of a defined contribution plan shall contribute to the
 plan a fixed amount of money, as determined by the sponsor, on behalf of
 each participant who is credited with a year of service. The minimum and
 maximum contribution requirements for  a  defined  contribution  service
 award program shall be as follows. The minimum contribution shall be one
 hundred  twenty  dollars  per  year of service. The maximum contribution
 shall be twelve hundred dollars per year of service. The maximum  number
 of  years  of service for which a participant may receive a contribution
 shall be forty years. The sponsor shall appropriate annually  an  amount
 sufficient to pay the contributions.  THE GOVERNING BOARD OF A POLITICAL
 SUBDIVISION  MAY EXTEND THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF YEARS OF SERVICE FOR WHICH
 A PARTICIPANT MAY RECEIVE A CONTRIBUTION FOR UP  TO  AN  ADDITIONAL  TEN
 YEARS,  TO A MAXIMUM OF FIFTY YEARS, AND SUCH INCREASES IN THE NUMBER OF
 YEARS MAY BE ADDED IN MULTIPLE INCREMENTS OR IN A SINGLE ACTION,  PURSU-
 ANT  TO  THE  ADOPTION  OF THE REQUIRED RESOLUTION OR RESOLUTIONS OF THE
 GOVERNING BOARD, RECEIVING  THE  AFFIRMATIVE  VOTE  OF  AT  LEAST  SIXTY
 PERCENT  OF  THE  GOVERNING  BOARD OF THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISION, AND THE
 APPROVAL OF ANY MANDATORY REFERENDUM OR REFERENDA AUTHORIZING THE EXTEN-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04001-03-1
              

 A. 2239--A                          2
 
 SION OF BENEFITS UNDER THE PROGRAM BY ELIGIBLE VOTERS WITHIN SUCH  POLI-
 TICAL SUBDIVISION.
   §  2.  Subdivision (b) of section 219 of the general municipal law, as
 amended by chapter 452 of the laws  of  2004,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   (b)  The  minimum  and  maximum  retirement benefit requirements for a
 service award program that is a defined benefit plan shall be defined as
 follows. Each participating active volunteer firefighter shall be  enti-
 tled  to  a  minimum service award benefit of five dollars per month for
 each  year  of  firefighting  service  completed  after  satisfying  the
 program's   eligibility  requirement  and  after  establishment  of  the
 program. The maximum benefit amount payable to  a  participating  active
 volunteer  firefighter  entitled to a benefit shall be determined on the
 basis of an actuarial valuation. The valuation shall take  into  account
 the age, and such other factors as the actuary deems appropriate, of the
 eligible  participating  active volunteer firefighters and the amount of
 available financing available per active covered volunteer  firefighter.
 The  maximum  service  award  under  a  service award program shall be a
 monthly payment, payable for life, that does not exceed an amount  equal
 to  thirty  dollars for each year of firefighting service credited under
 the terms of the program to a maximum of  forty  years  of  firefighting
 service.   THE GOVERNING BOARD OF A POLITICAL SUBDIVISION MAY EXTEND THE
 MAXIMUM NUMBER OF YEARS OF SERVICE FOR WHICH A PARTICIPANT MAY RECEIVE A
 CONTRIBUTION FOR UP TO AN ADDITIONAL TEN YEARS, TO A  MAXIMUM  OF  FIFTY
 YEARS,  AND SUCH INCREASES IN THE NUMBER OF YEARS MAY BE ADDED IN MULTI-
 PLE INCREMENTS OR IN A SINGLE ACTION, PURSUANT TO THE  ADOPTION  OF  THE
 REQUIRED RESOLUTION OR RESOLUTIONS OF THE GOVERNING BOARD, RECEIVING THE
 AFFIRMATIVE VOTE OF AT LEAST SIXTY PERCENT OF THE GOVERNING BOARD OF THE
 POLITICAL  SUBDIVISION,  AND THE APPROVAL OF ANY MANDATORY REFERENDUM OR
 REFERENDA AUTHORIZING THE EXTENSION OF BENEFITS  UNDER  THE  PROGRAM  BY
 ELIGIBLE VOTERS WITHIN SUCH POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.
   §  3.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all
 current and future participants.