Bill Text: NY S04515 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits public employers from diminishing the health insurance benefits and contributions of retired public employees in the New York state and local employees' retirement system.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - REFERRED TO INSURANCE [S04515 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S04515-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4515
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                     April 8, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. MARTINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
       AN ACT prohibiting public employers from diminishing the  health  insur-
         ance benefits and contributions of retired public employees in the New
         York state and local employees' retirement system
         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  public employee retirees and their dependents or the
    4  contributions such employer makes for  such  health  insurance  coverage
    5  below the level of such benefits or contributions made on behalf of such
    6  retirees  and  their  dependents by such employer unless a corresponding
    7  diminution of benefits or contributions is effected from  the  level  of
    8  benefits  or  contributions  provided to a corresponding group of active
    9  employees for such retirees.
   10    S 2. For purposes of this act, "public  employee  retirees  and  their
   11  dependents"  shall  mean  retired members and dependents of the New York
   12  state and local employees' retirement system.
   13    S 3. For purposes of  this  act,  "public  employer"  shall  mean  the
   14  following:  (i)  the  state; (ii) a county, city, town or village; (iii)
   15  any governmental entity operating a college or university; (iv) a public
   16  improvement or special district; (v) a public authority,  commission  or
   17  public  benefit corporation; or (vi) any other public corporation, agen-
   18  cy, instrumentality or unit of government which  exercises  governmental
   19  power under the laws of this state.
   20    S  4.  Nothing  contained  in this act shall supersede or diminish the
   21  terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
   22    S 5. Nothing contained in this act shall  require  a  public  employer
   23  which  does  not provide health insurance benefits to retirees and their
   24  dependents as of the effective date of this act to offer such benefits.
   25    S 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD10282-01-1