Senate Bill S6990

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6990
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 
 AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in  relation  to  requiring  exit
   surveys for resigning employees
 
   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  "improve
 civil service working conditions act".
   § 2. The civil service law is amended by adding a new section 159-e to
 read as follows:
   § 159-E. EXIT SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS. 1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION,
 THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   A.  "RESIGNING  EMPLOYEE" MEANS AN EMPLOYEE WHO HAS PROVIDED NOTICE OF
 RESIGNATION FROM EMPLOYMENT IN THE STATE  CIVIL  SERVICE  BUT  DOES  NOT
 INCLUDE A RETIRING EMPLOYEE.
   B.  "RETIRING  EMPLOYEE"  MEANS AN EMPLOYEE WHO HAS PROVIDED NOTICE OF
 RETIREMENT FROM EMPLOYMENT IN THE STATE SERVICE.
   C. "STATE AGENCY" SHALL HAVE THE SAME MEANING AS DEFINED IN  PARAGRAPH
 A OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION TWO HUNDRED ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW.
   2. NO LATER THAN JANUARY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, EACH AGENCY
 SHALL  PROVIDE  TO THE DEPARTMENT COPIES OF ANY EXIT SURVEYS OR POLICIES
 THAT SUCH STATE AGENCY ADMINISTERS IN RELATION TO RESIGNING OR  RETIRING
 EMPLOYEES.
   3.  UPON  CONSIDERATION  OF ANY EXIT SURVEYS OR POLICIES RECEIVED FROM
 AGENCIES PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO  OF  THIS  SECTION,  THE  PRESIDENT
 SHALL  CREATE  A  COMPREHENSIVE  EXIT  SURVEY AND INTERVIEW PROTOCOL FOR
 RESIGNING EMPLOYEES AND RETIRING EMPLOYEES. SUCH  SURVEY  AND  INTERVIEW
 PROTOCOL  SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO: A. QUESTIONS DESIGNED TO
 ELICIT DETAILS REGARDING THE QUALITY OF THE EMPLOYEE'S EXPERIENCE DURING
 THEIR EMPLOYMENT IN STATE SERVICE AND THE EMPLOYEE'S REASONS FOR RESIGN-
 ING OR RETIRING FROM EMPLOYMENT IN THE STATE SERVICE; B. BASIC PROTOCOLS
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02150-02-5
              

 S. 6990                             2
 
 FOR MANAGERS THAT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:  (I)  PROCEDURES
 TO ADMINISTER SUCH INTERVIEWS; AND (II) PROCEDURES BY WHICH RESIGNING OR
 RETIRING  EMPLOYEES  WILL  BE INFORMED OF THE PURPOSE OF SUCH INTERVIEW;
 AND  C.  A  METHOD  BY  WHICH  RESIGNING  OR RETIRING EMPLOYEES SHALL BE
 INFORMED THAT THEIR RESPONSES TO EXIT SURVEYS ARE  NOT  SUBJECT  TO  THE
 FREEDOM  OF  INFORMATION  LAW  AS SET FORTH IN ARTICLE SIX OF THE PUBLIC
 OFFICER'S LAW.
   4. A. STATE AGENCIES  SHALL  OFFER  ELECTRONIC  EXIT  SURVEYS  CREATED
 PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION TO ALL RESIGNING EMPLOYEES
 AND RETIRING EMPLOYEES, TO BE COMPLETED ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS.
   B.  STATE  AGENCIES  SHALL  MAKE BEST EFFORTS TO OFFER TO CONDUCT EXIT
 INTERVIEWS PURSUANT TO THE PROTOCOL REQUIRED  BY  SUBDIVISION  THREE  OF
 THIS  SECTION  TO  AS MANY RESIGNING EMPLOYEES AND RETIRING EMPLOYEES AS
 PRACTICABLE THROUGHOUT THE REPORTING  PERIOD;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT
 EACH  STATE AGENCY SHALL OFFER AN EXIT INTERVIEW TO NO FEWER THAN THIRTY
 PERCENT OF RESIGNING OR RETIRING EMPLOYEES.
   C. EXIT SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS SHALL BE OFFERED TO RESIGNING EMPLOYEES
 OR RETIRING EMPLOYEES AS EARLY AS PRACTICABLE FOLLOWING NOTICE OF RESIG-
 NATION OR RETIREMENT AND, IF SUCH EMPLOYEE ELECTS TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH
 SURVEY OR INTERVIEW, SHALL BE CONDUCTED ON  OR  BEFORE  SUCH  EMPLOYEE'S
 LAST DAY OF EMPLOYMENT.
   5.  NO  LATER  THAN  MARCH THIRTIETH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT AND BY
 MARCH THIRTIETH ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBMIT TO  THE
 GOVERNOR,  THE  SPEAKER  OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF
 THE SENATE:
   A. A COPY OF THE COMPREHENSIVE  EXIT  SURVEY  AND  INTERVIEW  PROTOCOL
 REQUIRED BY SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION; AND
   B.  A  REPORT  REGARDING  RESPONSES  FROM  EXIT SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS
 ADMINISTERED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.  SUCH
 REPORT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NEED NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (I)  THE  FOLLOWING  INFORMATION  ON  RESIGNING EMPLOYEES AND RETIRING
 EMPLOYEES FOR THE PRIOR CALENDAR YEAR, DISAGGREGATED  BY  STATE  AGENCY,
 CIVIL  SERVICE  TITLE,  BUSINESS TITLE, TITLE CLASSIFICATION, MANAGERIAL
 STATUS, AS APPLICABLE, AND STATUS  AS  RESIGNING  EMPLOYEE  OR  RETIRING
 EMPLOYEE:
   (1) THE NUMBER OF SUCH EMPLOYEES;
   (2)  THE NUMBER OF SUCH EMPLOYEES WHO WERE OFFERED TO COMPLETE AN EXIT
 SURVEY;
   (3) THE NUMBER OF SUCH EMPLOYEES WHO WERE OFFERED AN EXIT INTERVIEW;
   (4) THE NUMBER OF SUCH EMPLOYEES WHO COMPLETED AN EXIT SURVEY; AND
   (5) THE NUMBER OF SUCH EMPLOYEES WHO COMPLETED AN EXIT INTERVIEW.
   (II) A SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM EXIT  SURVEYS
 AND  INTERVIEWS ADMINISTERED TO RESIGNING EMPLOYEES AND RETIRING EMPLOY-
 EES IN THE PRIOR CALENDAR YEAR. SUCH SUMMARY  AND  ANALYSIS  SHALL  MAKE
 BEST  EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE REASONS FOR RESIGNATION OR RETIREMENT GIVEN
 BY SURVEYED AND INTERVIEWED EMPLOYEES, WHICH MAY INCLUDE,  BUT  ARE  NOT
 LIMITED  TO: CAREER CHANGE; DECISION TO PURSUE FURTHER EDUCATION; REMOTE
 WORK POLICIES; LEAVE POLICIES; CAREGIVING  RESPONSIBILITIES;  WAGES  AND
 OTHER  COMPENSATION; CONFLICT WITH COLLEAGUES; CONFLICT WITH MANAGEMENT;
 PERCEIVED UNSAFE WORKING CONDITIONS; CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE  HARASSMENT
 OR DISCRIMINATION; WORKLOAD; LOSS OF CITY RESIDENCY; AND COMMUTE TIME.
   §  3.  Individual  responses  to  exit  surveys  collected pursuant to
 section 159-e of the civil service law shall be exempt from the  Freedom
 of Information Law as set forth in article 6 of the public officers law.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.