S 4732: 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.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4732 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 12, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SANDERS, COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, HARCKHAM, HINCHEY, HOYL- MAN-SIGAL, MARTINS, MAYER, MURRAY, PALUMBO, RHOADS, SCARCELLA-SPANTON, SKOUFIS, WEBB, WEBER, WEIK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions AN ACT in relation to affecting the health insurance 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 and their dependents or the contributions such 4 employer makes for such health insurance coverage below the level of 5 such benefits or contributions made on behalf of such retirees and their 6 dependents by such employer as of the effective date of this act. For 7 the purpose of this act, (1) "public employer" shall mean the following: 8 (i) the state; (ii) a county, city, town or village; (iii) a school 9 district, board of cooperative educational services, vocational educa- 10 tion and extension board or a school district as enumerated in section 1 11 of chapter 566 of the laws of 1967, as amended; (iv) any governmental 12 entity operating a college or university; (v) a public improvement or 13 special district including police or fire districts; (vi) a public 14 authority, commission or public benefit corporation; or (vii) any other 15 public corporation, agency, instrumentality or unit of government which 16 exercises governmental power under the laws of this state; and (2) 17 "retiree" shall mean a retiree of the New York state and local police 18 and fire retirement system or the New York state and local employees' 19 retirement system who retires from police service or fire service that 20 qualifies under subdivision 11 of section 302 of the retirement and 21 social security law or a retiree of the New York city fire department 22 pension fund who was represented by the collective bargaining unit of 23 Local 854, I.A.F.F. 24 § 2. Nothing contained in this act shall supersede or diminish the 25 terms of a collective bargaining agreement. 26 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09264-01-5