S 5619: Allows first responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to request line of duty sick leave.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5619 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 26, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. ASHBY, WALCZYK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to allowing first responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to request line of duty sick leave The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new 2 section 92-e to read as follows: 3 § 92-e. Sick leave for first responders with PTSD. 1. Notwithstanding 4 any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, a first responder 5 including a firefighter, police officer, or emergency medical personnel 6 who is an employee of the state, a public authority, or any municipal 7 corporation, who is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by a 8 psychiatrist licensed pursuant to article one hundred thirty-one of the 9 education law which arises from such first responder's performance of 10 such first responder's duties, shall, after submitting a written request 11 for line of duty sick leave, be granted line of duty sick leave commenc- 12 ing on the date that such first responder was diagnosed with post-trau- 13 matic stress disorder. The first responder shall be compensated at such 14 first responder's regular rate of pay for those regular work hours 15 during which such first responder is absent from work due to such first 16 responder's diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. Such leave shall 17 be provided without the loss of the first responder's accrued sick leave 18 or vacation leave. 19 2. An employer shall not take any adverse personnel action against a 20 first responder regarding such first responder's employment because 21 either (i) the first responder utilizes, or requests to utilize, sick 22 leave or any other available leave due to diagnosed post-traumatic 23 stress disorder, or (ii) the first responder utilizes or requests to 24 utilize line of duty sick leave provided by this section. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03592-01-5 
 S. 5619 2 1 3. For purposes of this section, an "adverse personnel action" means 2 any discipline, including issuing a notice of discipline, discharge, 3 suspension, demotion, penalization, or discrimination against an employ- 4 ee utilizing line of duty sick leave pursuant to subdivision one of this 5 section. 6 § 2. The state shall reimburse any public authority or municipal 7 corporation of less than one million people for the cost of any line of 8 duty sick leave granted pursuant to this act. 9 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 10 any employee who is currently employed by the state, public authority, 11 or municipal corporation who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic 12 stress disorder and is using sick leave due to such disorder shall 13 receive a restoration of such sick leave retroactive to the date such 14 employee was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.