A 6718: Establishes alternative twenty and twenty-five year plans for every non-seasonally appointed sworn member or officer of the division of law enforcement in the department of environmental conservation, a forest ranger in the service of the department of environmental conservation, which shall mean a person who serves on a full-time basis in the title of forest ranger I, forest ranger II, forest ranger III, assistant superintendent of forest fire control, or any successor titles or new titles in the forest ranger title series in the department of environmental conservation, a police officer in the department of environmental conservation, the regional state park police, and university of police officers whose date of membership is prior to January first, two thousand ten.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6718 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees AN ACT to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to establishing alternative twenty and twenty-five year plans for certain officers of state law enforcement The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The retirement and social security law is amended by 2 adding two new sections 383-e and 383-f to read as follows: 3 § 383-e. Retirement of officers of state law enforcement; twenty year 4 retirement plan. a. Membership. Every non-seasonally appointed sworn 5 member or officer of the division of law enforcement in the department 6 of environmental conservation, a forest ranger in the service of the 7 department of environmental conservation, which shall mean a person who 8 serves on a full-time basis in the title of forest ranger I, forest 9 ranger II, forest ranger III, assistant superintendent of forest fire 10 control, superintendent of forest fire control or any successor titles 11 or new titles in the forest ranger title series in the department of 12 environmental conservation, a police officer in the department of envi- 13 ronmental conservation, the regional state park police, and university 14 police officers who enter or re-enter service in any such title whose 15 date of membership is on or after January first, two thousand ten shall 16 be covered by the provisions of this section, and every member described 17 in this subdivision in such service on or before one year prior to the 18 effective date of this section may elect to be covered by the provisions 19 of this section by filing an election therefor with the comptroller. To 20 be effective, such election must be duly executed and acknowledged on a 21 form prepared by the comptroller for that purpose. 22 b. Retirement allowance. A member, covered by the provisions of this 23 section at the time of retirement, shall be entitled to retire upon 24 completion of twenty years of total creditable service in such titles, EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08868-02-5 
 A. 6718 2 1 and shall retire upon the attainment of the mandatory retirement age 2 prescribed by this section, by filing an application therefor in a 3 manner similar to that provided in section three hundred seventy of this 4 article. 5 1. Upon completion of twenty years of such service and upon retire- 6 ment, each such member shall receive a pension which, together with an 7 annuity for such years of service as provided in paragraph four of this 8 subdivision, shall be sufficient to provide such member with a retire- 9 ment allowance of one-half of such member's final average salary. 10 2. Upon completion of more than twenty years of such service and upon 11 retirement, each such member shall receive, for each year of service in 12 excess of twenty, an additional pension which, together with an annuity 13 for each such year as provided in paragraph four of this subdivision, 14 shall be equal to one-sixtieth of such member's final average salary, 15 provided, however, that the pension payable pursuant to this section 16 shall not exceed three-quarters of final average salary. 17 3. Upon attainment of the mandatory retirement age without completion 18 of twenty years of such service, each such member shall receive a 19 pension which, together with an annuity for such years of service as 20 provided in paragraph four of this subdivision, shall be equal to one- 21 fortieth of such member's final average salary for each year of credita- 22 ble service in such titles. Every such member shall also be entitled to 23 an additional pension equal to the pension for any creditable service 24 rendered while not an employee in such titles as provided under para- 25 graphs three and four of subdivision a of section three hundred seven- 26 ty-five of this article. This latter pension shall not increase the 27 total allowance to more than one-half of such member's final average 28 salary. 29 4. The annuity provided under paragraphs one, two and three of this 30 subdivision shall be the actuarial equivalent, at the time of retire- 31 ment, of the member's accumulated contributions based upon the rate of 32 contribution fixed under section three hundred eighty-three of this 33 title and upon the salaries earned while in such service. Such annuity 34 shall be computed as it would be if it were not reduced by the actuarial 35 equivalent of any outstanding loan nor by reason of the member's 36 election to decrease such member's contributions toward retirement in 37 order to apply the resulting amount toward payment of contributions for 38 old age and survivor's insurance. Any accumulated contributions in 39 excess of the amount required to provide the annuity computed pursuant 40 to this paragraph shall be used to increase the member's retirement 41 allowance. 42 c. Credit for previous service. In computing the years of total cred- 43 itable service for each member described herein, full credit shall be 44 given and full allowance shall be made for service rendered as a police 45 officer or state university peace officer or member of a police force or 46 department of a state park authority or commission or an organized 47 police force or department of a county, city, town, village, police 48 district, authority or other participating employer or member of the 49 capital police force in the office of general services while a member of 50 the New York state and local police and fire retirement system, of the 51 New York state and local employees' retirement system or of the New York 52 city police pension fund and for all service for which full credit has 53 been given and full allowance made pursuant to the provisions of section 54 three hundred seventy-five-h of this article provided, however, that 55 full credit pursuant to the provisions of such section shall mean only 56 such service as would be creditable service pursuant to the provisions 
 A. 6718 3 1 of section three hundred eighty-three, three hundred eighty-three-a, 2 three hundred eighty-three-b, as added by chapter six hundred seventy- 3 four of the laws of nineteen hundred eighty-six, three hundred eighty- 4 three-b, as added by chapter six hundred seventy-seven of the laws of 5 nineteen hundred eighty-six, three hundred eighty-three-c or three 6 hundred eighty-three-d of this title or pursuant to the provisions of 7 title thirteen of the administrative code of the city of New York for 8 any member contributing pursuant to this section who transferred to the 9 jurisdiction of the department of environmental conservation including 10 but not limited to environmental conservation officers and forest 11 rangers, regional state park police or state university of New York 12 peace officers. 13 d. Retirement for cause. Upon receipt of a certificate from the head 14 of the entity where such member is employed or such member's designee, a 15 member as described in subdivision a of this section, who has accrued 16 twenty-five or more years of service credit under this section shall be 17 retired on the first day of the second month next succeeding the date 18 such certificate was filed with the comptroller. 19 e. Credit for military service. In computing the years of total cred- 20 itable service full credit shall be given and full allowance shall be 21 made for service of such member in war after world war I as defined in 22 section three hundred two of this article, provided such member at the 23 time of such member's entrance into the armed forces was in police 24 service as defined in subdivision eleven of section three hundred two of 25 this article. 26 f. Transfer of membership to employees' retirement system. Any member 27 currently enrolled pursuant to this section and who previously trans- 28 ferred service credit from the New York state and local employees' 29 retirement system to the New York state and local police and fire 30 retirement system, may elect to transfer such previously transferred 31 service credit back to the New York state and local employees' retire- 32 ment system, and such member shall have the option to retroactively 33 transfer such member's membership into such employees' retirement 34 system. 35 g. The provisions of this section shall be controlling, notwithstand- 36 ing any provision of this article to the contrary. 37 § 383-f. Retirement of officers of state law enforcement; alternative 38 twenty-five year retirement plan. a. Membership. Every non-seasonally 39 appointed sworn member or officer of the division of law enforcement in 40 the department of environmental conservation, a forest ranger in the 41 service of the department of environmental conservation, which shall 42 mean a person who serves on a full-time basis in the title of forest 43 ranger I, forest ranger II, forest ranger III, assistant superintendent 44 of forest fire control, or any successor titles or new titles in the 45 forest ranger title series in the department of environmental conserva- 46 tion, a police officer in the department of environmental conservation, 47 the regional state park police, and university police officers whose 48 date of membership is prior to January first, two thousand ten shall be 49 covered by the provisions of this section, and every member described in 50 this subdivision in such service within one year of the effective date 51 of this section or within one year of employment in an eligible title, 52 whichever is later, may elect to be covered by the provisions of this 53 section by filing an election therefor with the comptroller. Upon 54 completion of twenty-five years of such service and upon retirement, 55 each such member shall receive a pension which, together with an annui- 56 ty, if any, which shall be the actuarial equivalent of such member's 
 A. 6718 4 1 accumulated contributions at the time of their retirement and an addi- 2 tional pension which is the actuarial equivalent of the reserve-for-in- 3 creased-take-home-pay to which such member may then be entitled, if any, 4 shall be sufficient to provide such member with a retirement allowance 5 equal to fifty-eight percent of their final average salary. To be 6 effective, such election must be duly executed and acknowledged on a 7 form prepared by the comptroller for such purpose. 8 b. Retirement allowance. 1. A member, covered by the provisions of 9 this section at the time of retirement, shall be entitled to retire upon 10 completion of twenty-five years of total creditable service in such 11 titles by filing an application therefor in a manner similar to that 12 provided in section three hundred seventy of this article. 13 2. Upon completion of more than twenty-five years of such service and 14 upon retirement, each such member shall receive, for each year of 15 service in excess of twenty-five, an additional pension which, together 16 with an annuity for each such year as provided in paragraph three of 17 this subdivision, shall be equal to one-sixtieth of their final average 18 salary, provided, however, that the pension payable pursuant to this 19 section shall not exceed three-quarters of such member's final average 20 salary. 21 3. The annuity provided under paragraph two of this subdivision shall 22 be the actuarial equivalent, at the time of retirement, of the member's 23 accumulated contributions based upon the rate of contributions fixed 24 under section three hundred eighty-three of this title and upon the 25 salaries earned while in such service. Such annuity shall be computed as 26 it would be if it were not reduced by the actuarial equivalent of any 27 outstanding loan nor by reason of the member's election to decrease such 28 member's contributions for old age and survivor's insurance. Any accumu- 29 lated contributions in excess of the amount required to provide the 30 annuity computed pursuant to this paragraph shall be used to increase 31 the member's retirement allowance. 32 c. Credit for previous service. In computing the years of total cred- 33 itable service for each member described herein, full credit shall be 34 given and full allowance shall be made for service rendered as a police 35 officer or state university peace officer or member of a police force or 36 department of a state park authority or commission or an organized 37 police force or department of a county, city, town, village, police 38 district, authority or other participating employer or member of the 39 capital police force in the office of general services while a member of 40 the New York state and local police and fire retirement system, of the 41 New York state and local employees' retirement system or of the New York 42 city police pension fund and for all service for which full credit has 43 been given and full allowance made pursuant to the provisions of section 44 three hundred seventy-five-h of this article provided, however, that 45 full credit pursuant to the provisions of such section shall mean only 46 such service as would be creditable service pursuant to the provisions 47 of section three hundred eighty-three, three hundred eighty-three-a, 48 three hundred eighty-three-b, as added by chapter six hundred seventy- 49 four of the laws of nineteen hundred eighty-six, three hundred eighty- 50 three-b, as added by chapter six hundred seventy-seven of the laws of 51 nineteen hundred eighty-six, three hundred eighty-three-c or three 52 hundred eighty-three-d of this title or pursuant to the provisions of 53 title thirteen of the administrative code of the city of New York for 54 any member contributing pursuant to this section who transferred to the 55 jurisdiction of the department of environmental conservation including 56 but not limited to environmental conservation officers and forest 
 A. 6718 5 1 rangers, regional state park police or state university of New York 2 peace officers. 3 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed- 4 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.