Senate Bill S7917

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7917
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. SKOUFIS, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and
   Pensions
 
 AN ACT to amend the retirement and social security law, in  relation  to
   participation  by  public or quasi-public organizations in the retire-
   ment system

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  a of section 31 of the retirement and social
 security law, as amended by chapter 379 of the laws of 1989, is  amended
 to read as follows:
   a. Any public or quasi-public organization created wholly or partly or
 deriving  its powers by the legislature of the state and which organiza-
 tion employs persons engaged in service to the public or any state agen-
 cy as defined in section fifty-three-a of the state finance law, or  the
 New  York state association of town superintendents of highways, inc. or
 any school board association,  by  resolution  legally  adopted  by  its
 governing  body  and  approved by the comptroller, may elect to have its
 officers and employees become eligible to participate in the  retirement
 system.    Acceptance  of the officers and employees of such an employer
 for membership in the retirement system shall be optional with the comp-
 troller. If [he] THEY shall approve their participation, such  organiza-
 tion,  except  as specifically provided in this article to the contrary,
 shall thereafter be treated as a participating  employer.  Any  election
 made pursuant to this subdivision by a school board association shall be
 applicable  to  current  employees of such association.  NOTWITHSTANDING
 THE FOREGOING PROVISIONS, ANY OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE OF THE NEW YORK  STATE
 ASSOCIATION  OF  TOWN  SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  HIGHWAYS, INC., THE NEW YORK
 STATE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION, THE NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUN-
 TIES, THE ASSOCIATION OF TOWNS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK,  THE  NEW  YORK
 CONFERENCE  OF MAYORS AND OTHER MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS, OR ANY SCHOOL BOARD
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11291-02-5
              

 S. 7917                             2
 
 ASSOCIATION, FIRST EMPLOYED ON OR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE  CHAP-
 TER  OF THE LAWS OF TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE WHICH AMENDED THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION, SHALL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE AND/OR RECEIVE SERVICE CREDIT
 IN THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM BASED ON SUCH EMPLOYMENT.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
   FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
   This  bill would deny eligibility for membership in the New York State
 and Local  Employees'  Retirement  System  (NYSLERS)  to  persons  first
 employed by the following organizations on or after the effective date:
   1. The New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways,
 Inc.,
   2. The New York State School Boards Association,
   3. The New York State Association of Counties,
   4. The Association of Towns of the State of New York,
   5.  The  New  York Conference of Mayors and Other Municipal Officials,
 and
   6. any school board association.
   If this bill is enacted into law, there will be no cost to NYSLERS.
   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 22, 2025, and intended for use only  during
 the  2025  Legislative  Session,  is  Fiscal Note No. 2025-158. 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.