Senate Bill S7196A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7196--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               April 3, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
   -- recommitted to the Committee  on  Civil  Service  and  Pensions  in
   accordance  with  Senate  Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill
   amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
   tee
 
 AN  ACT  in relation to authorizing Sgt. Bethany Kidd to receive certain
   service credit under a twenty year retirement plan
 
   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,
 Sergeant  Bethany  Kidd, a member of the New York state and local police
 and fire retirement system, who was appointed as a police  officer  with
 the  Seneca Falls Police Department, in the town of Seneca Falls, county
 of Seneca, on February 4, 2014, and who, through no fault  of  her  own,
 was  enrolled to participate in the retirement plan contained in section
 375-i of the retirement and social security law,  shall  be  given  full
 credit  in  the special twenty year retirement plan contained in section
 384-d of the retirement and social security law for  such  service  upon
 the  election  of the town of Seneca Falls to assume the additional cost
 of such service. The town of Seneca Falls may so elect  by  filing  with
 the state comptroller within 180 days of the effective date of this act,
 a  resolution  of its legislative body, together with certification that
 such police officer did not  bar  herself  from  participation  in  such
 retirement  plan  as  a  result of her own negligence.  Thereafter, such
 officer may elect to be covered by the provisions of  section  384-d  of
 the  retirement  and  social  security law, and shall be entitled to the
 full rights and benefits associated with coverage under such section, by
 filing a request to such effect with the state  comptroller  within  one
 year of the effective date of this act.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04872-03-6
 S. 7196--A                          2
              

 
   §   2.  All  past  service  costs  associated  with  implementing  the
 provisions of this act shall be borne by the town of  Seneca  Falls,  in
 the county of Seneca, and may be amortized over a ten year period.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
   FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
   This  bill  would  allow  the  town  of  Seneca  Falls  to  reopen the
 provisions of section 384-d of the retirement and  social  security  law
 for police officer Bethany Kidd.
   We  estimate  that the town of Seneca Falls' annual contributions will
 increase $16,000 beginning FYE 2027. Annual costs will vary as the bill-
 ing rates and salary of Bethany Kidd change.
   In addition, there will be an immediate past service cost of  $256,000
 borne  by  the  town  of  Seneca  Falls as a one-time payment. This cost
 assumes that payment will be made on February 1, 2027. If  the  town  of
 Seneca  Falls  elects  to amortize this cost over 10 years, the cost for
 each year will be $32,700.
   Summary of relevant resources:
   Membership data as of March 31, 2025 was used to measure the impact of
 the bill, the same data used in the Actuarial Valuations dated April  1,
 2025. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the 2025 Report
 of  the  Actuary and the 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. The
 actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the 2025  Annual
 Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and the Codes, Rules
 and  Regulations  of  the State of New York: Audit and Control. The fair
 value of assets and GASB disclosures can be found in the 2025  Financial
 Statements and Supplementary Information.
   Assumptions,  demographics,  and  other  considerations  may have been
 modified to better reflect specific provisions of any  proposed  benefit
 change(s).
   This  fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
 of the bill, nor is it intended to serve as a substitute for the profes-
 sional judgment of an attorney.
   This estimate, dated February 25, 2026,  and  intended  for  use  only
 during  the 2026 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note Number 2026-130. As
 Chief Actuary  of  the  New  York  State  and  Local  Retirement  System
 (NYSLRS),  I,  Aaron  Schottin  Young, hereby certify that this analysis
 complies with applicable 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 Actu-
 aries, of which I am a member. I am  a  member  of  NYSLRS  but  do  not
 believe it impairs my objectivity.