NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8024

Senate Bill S8024

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to disability retirement benefits to Stacie Stueber on behalf of her deceased husband, deputy sheriff Richard Stueber, a participant in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations

download bill text pdf

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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 15, 2025	referred to civil service and pensions

2025-S8024 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Civil Service And Pensions
Law Section:: Retirement
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S6539
2023-2024: S5208, S9451

2025-S8024 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides accidental disability retirement benefits to Stacie Stueber on behalf of her deceased husband, deputy sheriff Richard Stueber, a participant in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations and who is now deceased after succumbing to mental illness associated with his participation in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup operations.

2025-S8024 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8024

SPONSOR: MARTINEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act relating to disability retirement benefits for deputy sheriff
Richard Stueber, a participant in World Trade Center rescue, recovery,
and cleanup operations

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this legislation is to allow Deputy Sheriff Richard
Stueber's surviving spouse to receive 75% accidental disability retire-
ment.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Provides Stacie Stueber shall be entitled to a 75% accidental
disability retirement on behalf of her husband, who is deceased as
result of mental illness associated with his participation in the World
Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup, pursuant to paragraph 4 of
subdivision d of section 605 of the retirement and social security law.

Section 2: Provides all costs associated with implementing this act
shall be borne by the county of Suffolk.

Section 3: Is the effective clause.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Suffolk County Sheriff's Officer Richard Stueber answered the call to
serve his state and nation as part of the World Trade Center rescue,
recovery and cleanup efforts in the weeks and months following the 9/11
attacks. Officer Stueber was accepted into the Zadroga World Trade
Center Program and became incapacitated from performing all the duties
of a police officer as a result of his participation. He applied for his
WTC Accidental Disability retirement with the New York State and Local
Retirement System in February 2019 which was processed by that System
and granted March 12, 2020. He was awarded a 75% 911 accidental disabil-
ity retirement by the System on March 12, 2020 by a favorable determi-
nation made by the System. However, while this process was pending,
Officer Stueber was forced to take his New York State Service pension in
March 2019, one month after he filed for his Disability Retirement
Application as the ability to stay on the Suffolk County Sheriffs
payroll during the time it took to prosecute his 9/11 World Trade Center
Accidental Retirement Application was not possible.

On December 14, 2020, the New York State Retirement System sent a letter
notifying Mr. Stueber that he was ineligible for the 75% portion of WTC
Accidental Disability retirement benefit due to changes in the Law under
the provisions of Section 605(d) (4) of the Retirement and Social Secu-
rity Law, which took effect September 11, 2019. It was not the legisla-
tive intent to reduce the class of eligible participants which is why
this legislation is necessary.

Officer Stueber suffered from mental illness as a result of his partic-
ipation in theòoperations and since the introduction of this bill in
2021, he has taken his own life. Officer Stueber is survived by his

wife, Stacie Stueber. This bill seeks to provide Stacie with the acci-
dental disability retirement Richard died waiting for.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

See fiscal note.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S8024 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8024
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. MARTINEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 
 AN ACT relating to disability retirement  benefits  for  deputy  sheriff
   Richard Stueber, a participant in World Trade Center rescue, recovery,
   and cleanup operations

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Notwithstanding the provision of  any  general  or  special
 law, rule or regulation to the contrary, Richard Stueber, a deputy sher-
 iff employed by Suffolk County who retired from such service on March 1,
 2019,  and  who  participated in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery
 and cleanup operations as a member of the New York City  police  depart-
 ment,  and  is now deceased succumbing to mental illness associated with
 his participation in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup
 operations, and Stacie Stueber on behalf of her deceased  husband  shall
 be  entitled to a 75% accidental disability retirement  benefit pursuant
 to paragraph 4 of subdivision d of section 605  of  the  retirement  and
 social  security  law based upon the determination by the New York state
 and local employees' retirement system on March 12,  2020  that  Richard
 Stueber was permanently incapacitated  for the performance of his duties
 as  a  result  of  his  participation  in the World Trade Center rescue,
 recovery, or cleanup operations. Such benefit shall be payable from  the
 date of his retirement.
   § 2. All costs associated with implementing this act shall be borne by
 the county of Suffolk.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02755-02-5

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