S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7118
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               April 1, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEBER  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 
 AN ACT granting retroactive tier IV membership in the New York state and
   local employees' retirement system to Raymond Ruckel
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary,
 Raymond Ruckel, a tier VI member of the New York state and local employ-
 ees'  retirement system employed by the Rockland county sheriff's office
 correction division and who was employed as a  full-time  employee  with
 Clarkstown  Central School District from August 1, 1990 through December
 1, 1990 and who, through no fault of his own, did not become a member of
 the New York state and local employees' retirement system on  August  1,
 1990  when  he  became  eligible for membership in such system, shall be
 deemed to have a date of membership with the New York  state  and  local
 employees'  retirement  system  of  August  1,  1990 if he shall file an
 application therefore with the state comptroller within one year of  the
 effective  date  of  this  act.  Upon  the  receipt of such application,
 Raymond Ruckel shall be granted tier IV status in the New York state and
 local employees' retirement system and shall be  eligible  for  all  the
 rights and benefits thereof.
   § 2. All past service costs of implementing the provisions of this act
 shall be borne by Clarkstown Central School District, and there shall be
 no refund of member contributions to Raymond Ruckel.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
   FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
   This  bill  would  grant Tier 4 status in the New York State and Local
 Employees' Retirement System to Raymond Ruckel, a current Tier 6  member
 employed  by  Rockland  County,  by changing their date of membership to
 August 1, 1990, their first  date  of  employment  with  the  Clarkstown

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03470-02-5
 S. 7118                             2
              

 
 Central  School  District.  There  will  be no refund of member contrib-
 utions.
   If this bill is enacted during the 2025 Legislative Session, we antic-
 ipate  that  there  will  be  an increase of approximately $8,000 in the
 annual contributions of Rockland County for the fiscal year ending March
 31, 2026. In future years this cost will vary as the billing  rates  and
 salary of Raymond Ruckel change.
   In addition to the annual contributions discussed above, there will be
 an  immediate  past  service cost of approximately $65,100 which will be
 borne by Clarkstown Central School District as a one-time payment.  This
 estimate assumes that payment will be made on February 1, 2026.
   Summary of relevant resources:
   Membership  data as of March 31, 2024 was used in measuring the impact
 of the proposed change, the same data used in the April 1, 2024 actuari-
 al valuation. Distributions and other statistics can  be  found  in  the
 2024  Report  of the Actuary and the 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial
 Report.  The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the
 2024 Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and  the
 Codes,  Rules  and  Regulations  of  the  State  of  New York: Audit and
 Control. The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in  the  March
 31, 2024 New York State and Local Retirement System Financial Statements
 and Supplementary Information.
   This  fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
 of the proposed change nor is it intended to serve as a  substitute  for
 the professional judgment of an attorney.
   This  estimate, dated March 27, 2025, and intended for use only during
 the 2025 Legislative Session, is Fiscal  Note  No.  2025-102.  As  Chief
 Actuary  of  the  New  York  State and Local Retirement System, I, Aaron
 Schottin Young, hereby certify that this analysis complies with applica-
 ble Actuarial Standards of Practice as well as the Code of  Professional
 Conduct  and Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing Statements of
 Actuarial Opinion of the American Academy of Actuaries, of which I am  a
 member.