New York Assembly Bill A01847

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/14/25
• Refer: 1/14/25
• Report Pass: 6/16/25
• Refer: 6/16/25

Caption

Provides a performance and discharge of duty presumption for any condition of impairment of health caused by leptospirosis, resulting in total or partial disability or death to a paid member of the uniformed force of a paid sanitation department, where such paid member is drawn from competitive civil service lists, who successfully passed a physical examination on entry into the service of such department, which examination failed to reveal any evidence of such condition.

Summary

This bill would add a new section to the General Municipal Law creating a rebuttable presumption that certain health impairments caused by leptospirosis, including total or partial disability or death, were incurred in the performance of duty for paid sanitation workers in certain cities. The presumption applies to paid members of the uniformed force of a paid sanitation department who were hired from competitive civil service lists and who passed a pre-employment physical that did not reveal the condition. The presumption can be overcome by competent evidence. In practical terms, the bill would move qualifying leptospirosis-related claims for sanitation workers from ordinary disability or death benefits to performance-of-duty benefits. The fiscal note indicates this would increase employer pension contributions for New York City and affect benefits administered through NYCERS, with higher disability and death benefit levels than under current ordinary retirement provisions.

Impact

The bill would amend the General Municipal Law by adding section 207-aa and would create a specific statutory presumption for leptospirosis-related disability or death claims among eligible sanitation workers. It would not alter workers' compensation or labor law provisions, but it would change how certain retirement and death benefits are determined for affected sanitation employees, likely increasing pension obligations for New York City and the New York City Employees' Retirement System. The bill takes effect immediately.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong support and no recorded opposition in committee, with unanimous favorable votes in both the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and the Assembly Rules Committee. The fiscal note acknowledges meaningful long-term cost increases, but the committee action suggests the bill was viewed favorably despite those costs. No committee transcript is provided, so the overall sentiment can be characterized as broadly supportive and noncontroversial in the recorded votes.

Contention

The main point of contention is fiscal impact: the bill would increase employer contributions and pension liabilities for New York City, with costs varying depending on how many workers are affected and the severity of claims. Another possible issue is the narrowness of the presumption, which applies only to sanitation workers meeting specific hiring and medical-screening criteria and only to leptospirosis-related impairments. Supporters likely view the bill as a targeted occupational disease protection for sanitation workers, while any concern would center on the cost of expanding duty-related benefits and the precedent of creating disease-specific presumptions.