NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7910

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 13, 2025	referred to civil service and pensions

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8059
Current Committee:: Senate Civil Service And Pensions
Law Section:: Retirement
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S9868, A10606

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Permits the widow of Luis Palermo to apply for a World Trade Center related accidental death benefit for participation in the rescue, recovery, and clean-up operations as a member of the Nassau county police department.

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7910

SPONSOR: MATTERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to authorize the widow of Luis Palermo to apply for World Trade
Center related accidental death benefits from the New York state and
local police and fire retirement system

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This legislation would authorize the widow of the late Nassau County
Police Officer Luis Palermo to apply for World Trade Center related
accidental death benefits from the New York State and Local Police and
Fire Retirement System.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Permits the widow of the late Nassau County Police Officer
Luis Palermo to file an application, within one year of the effective
date of this act, for World Trade Center related accidental death bene-
fits from the New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement

System. States that the application shall be approved despite Officer
Palermo participating in rescue, recovery and clean-up operations at the
World Trade Center site for twenty-nine hours.

Section 2: States that all costs associated with the implementation of
this act shall be borne by the county of Nassau and may be amortized
over a period of ten years.

Section 3: Sets the effective date and includes the Fiscal Note.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Luis Palermo served as a member of the Nassau County Police Department
for approximately 23 years until his passing as a result of end stage
pulmonary fibrosis contracted through his participation as a first
responder at the World Trade, Center site following the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001. However, officer Palermo's application
for coverage under the provisions of the World Trade Center presumption
was rejected on the basis that he did not fulfill forty hours of partic-
ipation in the rescue, recovery, and clean-up operations as required
under the law.

Officer Palermo's conditions have been certified by the World Trade
Center Health Program as connected to his participation in the rescue
and recovery efforts following the September 11th attacks. In addition,
Officer Palermo meets all other conditions required for this claim
including having participated as defined under Section 2, definition 36,
subsection e, and having a qualifying physical condition as defined
under Section 2, definition 36, subsection c.  Further, Officer
Palermo's widow and surviving children have been receiving work related
death benefits under section 16 of the workers' compensation law based
entirely upon his participation in World Trade Center operations which
is an official New York State agency.

Accordingly, this bill would allow Officer Palermo's widow to file an
application, within one year of the effective date of this act, for
World Trade Center related accidental death benefits from the New York
State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System. Said application, if
timely filed, shall be approved despite Officer Palermo participating in
rescue, recovery and clean-up operations at the World Trade Center site
for twenty-nine hours.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024: A.10606 - referred to governmental employees

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

Refer to fiscal note in section 3.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7910
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 13, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. MATTERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 
 AN ACT to authorize the widow of Luis Palermo to apply for  World  Trade
   Center  related  accidental death benefits from the New York state and
   local police and fire retirement system

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the widow of
 Luis Palermo, who was employed by the Nassau  County  police  department
 since October 14, 1994, and was a member of the New York state and local
 police  and fire retirement system for approximately 23 years, until his
 passing on September 4, 2017, as a result of end stage pulmonary  fibro-
 sis  contracted through his participation as a first responder, shall be
 entitled to file a new application for an accidental and  special  acci-
 dental death retirement benefit provided by the New York state and local
 police  and  fire retirement system.   Additionally, notwithstanding any
 rule, regulation or law to the contrary, Luis Palermo's application  for
 World  Trade  Center  notice  shall  be approved despite Officer Palermo
 participating in rescue, recovery, and clean-up operations  for  twenty-
 nine  hours  between  September  11,  2001  and September 12, 2002. Such
 application must be filed with the New York state and local  police  and
 fire  retirement  system pursuant to section 361-a of the retirement and
 social security law, as amended by chapter 733  of  the  laws  of  1990,
 within one year of the effective date of this act.
   § 2. All costs associated with the implementation of this act shall be
 borne  by the county of Nassau and may be amortized over a period of ten
 years.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
   FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
   This bill would make Deborah  Palermo,  the  widow  of  Luis  Palermo,
 eligible to collect an accidental death benefit pursuant to sections 361
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03712-04-5

 S. 7910                             2
 
 and 361-a of the Retirement and Social Security Law (RSSL). Luis Palermo
 was  a member of the New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement
 System employed as a police officer with Nassau County until their death
 on  September  4, 2017. Currently, Deborah Palermo is collecting 100% of
 the optional benefit payable under the service retirement.
   If this bill is enacted during the 2025 Legislative Session,  and  the
 required application for an accidental death benefit is timely filed and
 approved,  there will be an immediate past service cost of approximately
 $5.93 million which will  be  borne  by  Nassau  County  as  a  one-time
 payment.  This estimate assumes that payment will be made on February 1,
 2026. If Nassau County elects to amortize this cost over a 10-year peri-
 od, the cost for each year including interest would be $757,000.
   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 April 14, 2025, and intended for use only during
 the 2025 Legislative Session, is Fiscal  Note  No.  2025-152.  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.

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Senate Bill S7910

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions Committee

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7910

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Sponsored By

Mario R. Mattera

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions Committee

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7910 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments