Bill Text: NY A05455 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Prohibits the diminution of health insurance benefits of public employee retirees and their dependents or reducing the employer's contributions for such insurance; defines employers to include the state, municipalities, school districts, and public authorities and commissions.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 27-10)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-04-23 - print number 5455a [A05455 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A05455-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5455--A
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 9, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M. of A. WEPRIN, BRINDISI, JAFFEE, TITONE, COLTON, RAIA,
          BENEDETTO, FAHY, SKOUFIS, DiPIETRO, BRONSON, ORTIZ, WOERNER, SANTABAR-
          BARA, BRABENEC, ROZIC, MALLIOTAKIS, SEPULVEDA -- Multi-Sponsored by --
          M. of A. ABINANTI, DenDEKKER,  ENGLEBRIGHT,  GALEF,  GIGLIO,  GUNTHER,
          LAVINE,  MAYER,  McDONOUGH,  MONTESANO,  PERRY, RA, RIVERA, SKARTADOS,
          THIELE, ZEBROWSKI -- read  once  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on
          Governmental Employees -- recommitted to the Committee on Governmental
          Employees  in  accordance  with  Assembly  Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee
        AN ACT to prohibit public employers from diminishing the  health  insur-
          ance benefits and contributions of certain retired public employees
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. On and after the effective  date  of  this  act,  a  public
     2  employer shall be prohibited from diminishing the health insurance bene-
     3  fits provided to retirees, who retired before, on or after the effective
     4  date of this act, and their dependents or the contributions such employ-
     5  er  makes  for  such  health  insurance coverage below the level of such
     6  benefits or contributions made on behalf  of  such  retirees  and  their
     7  dependents by such employer as of the retiree's date of retirement.  For
     8  the purpose of this act, "public employer" shall mean the following: (i)
     9  the  state; (ii) a county, city, town or village; (iii) any governmental
    10  entity operating a college or university; (iv) a public  improvement  or
    11  special  district  including  police  or  fire  districts;  (v) a public
    12  authority, commission or public benefit corporation; or (vi)  any  other
    13  public  corporation, agency, instrumentality or unit of government which
    14  exercises governmental power under the laws of this  state.    The  term
    15  public  employer shall not include any school district, board of cooper-
    16  ative educational services, or vocational education and extension board.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09559-03-8

        A. 5455--A                          2
     1    § 2. Nothing contained in this act shall  supersede  or  diminish  the
     2  terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
     3    §  3. Notwithstanding the provisions of section one of this act to the
     4  contrary, a public employer shall be  prohibited  from  diminishing  the
     5  health  insurance  benefits  provided  to  retirees who retire after the
     6  effective date of this act from positions not subject  to  a  collective
     7  bargaining  agreement  and  their  dependents, or the contributions such
     8  employer makes for such health insurance coverage, below  the  level  of
     9  such  benefits  or  contributions  made on behalf of active employees in
    10  such positions as of the retiree's date of retirement.
    11    § 4. Nothing contained in this act shall  require  a  public  employer
    12  which  does  not provide health insurance benefits to retirees and their
    13  dependents as of the effective date of this act to offer such benefits.
    14    § 5. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
    15  have become a law.
feedback