Assembly Bill A10417

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10417
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               March 3, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. KIM -- read once and referred to the Committee on
   Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
 
 AN  ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
   relation to establishing the New York state park police
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Section 13.17 of the parks, recreation and historic preser-
 vation law, as amended by chapter 662 of the laws of 1972, is amended to
 read as follows:
   §  13.17 Regional state park police AND NEW YORK STATE PARK POLICE. 1.
 All members of any police force of a regional state park commission,  as
 heretofore  constituted, shall, unless transferred by or pursuant to any
 other provision of law, continue to be members of the park police  force
 of their respective regions, in the office.
   2.  NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PRIOR MEMORANDUM, THERE SHALL CONTINUE TO BE A
 LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION KNOWN AS THE NEW YORK STATE PARK POLICE.    THE
 NEW YORK STATE PARK POLICE SHALL FUNCTION AS AN INDEPENDENT LAW ENFORCE-
 MENT  AGENCY SOLELY UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE COMMISSIONER, AND SHALL
 NOT BE UNDER THE OPERATIONAL DIRECTION OF THE DIVISION OF THE  NEW  YORK
 STATE  POLICE. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL PROHIBIT THE NEW YORK STATE
 PARK POLICE FROM COORDINATING, INCLUDING BY AGREEMENTS OR  MEMORANDA  OF
 UNDERSTANDING,  WITH  THE DIVISION OF NEW YORK STATE POLICE OR OTHER LAW
 ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WITH RESPECT TO TRAINING,  STRATEGIC  PREPAREDNESS,
 EMERGENCY RESPONSE, MASS GATHERINGS, OR OTHER MATTERS OF MUTUAL CONCERN,
 PROVIDED THAT SUCH COORDINATION SHALL NOT RESTRICT OR TRANSFER THE INDE-
 PENDENT OPERATIONAL AUTHORITY OF THE NEW YORK STATE PARK POLICE.
   3. Any member who shall complete twenty-five years of total service as
 a  member  of  the New York regional state park police on or after April
 first, nineteen hundred sixty-six but who  has  not  attained  sixty-two
 years  of age at the time of completion of such period of service, shall
 be separated from such service upon attaining such age.
   [3] 4. Any member who shall attain sixty-two years of age on or  after
 April first, nineteen hundred sixty-six, but who has not completed twen-
 ty-five  years  of such total service at the time of attaining such age,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14932-01-6
 A. 10417                            2
 
 shall be separated from such service  upon  completing  such  period  of
 service.
   [4]  5. Any member appointed on or after April first, nineteen hundred
 sixty-five shall be separated from such service upon attaining sixty-two
 years of age.
   [5] 6. The provisions of subdivisions [two,]  three  [and],  four  AND
 FIVE  of this section shall not apply to the commanding officer or chief
 of any police force of a park region, nor to  any  member  who  has  not
 elected  and  is  not required to contribute in accordance with sections
 three hundred  eighty-three  or  three  hundred  eighty-three-a  of  the
 retirement and social security law.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.