New York Assembly Bill A08187

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/5/25
• Refer: 5/5/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Enacts the "building recruitment and incentives for dedicated government employees (BRIDGE) act" which provides a service credit for members who were previously employed by the federal government.

Summary

A08187 would create a new article in the Retirement and Social Security Law called the “BRIDGE act” to allow certain members of the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System to purchase up to five years of service credit for prior federal government employment. The bill is aimed at attracting and retaining experienced public servants who previously worked for the federal government, especially in light of recent federal workforce reductions, by making New York public employment more financially attractive. To qualify, a member must have at least five years of credited service in the state system, must have been enrolled in a federal defined benefit pension plan, and must apply before retirement. The member would pay a percentage of salary for each year of federal service claimed—generally 3 percent of the member’s compensation for the prior 12 months, or 6 percent for members who first joined a public retirement system on or after April 1, 2012. The bill limits the total purchasable federal service credit to five years, allows payroll deduction in some cases, and provides for refunds with interest if the purchased credit does not improve the member’s death or retirement benefit.

Impact

The bill would amend the Retirement and Social Security Law by adding a new federal service credit program for NYSLRS members, shifting the law away from its current general rule that credited service must be tied to covered public employment. It would require the state and participating local employers to cover the actuarial cost beyond member contributions, and it expressly exempts the new provisions from section 25 of the Retirement and Social Security Law. The measure would affect state and local retirement system administration, pension funding, and eligible current and future employees with prior federal service.

Sentiment

The bill’s stated purpose is strongly supportive of public-sector recruitment and retention, and the legislative findings frame it as an opportunity to bring skilled federal workers into New York service. No committee transcript or recorded vote is provided, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or amendment debate in the supplied materials. The fiscal note, however, signals that the proposal would create significant actuarial and administrative costs, suggesting that fiscal concerns are likely to be a major consideration.

Contention

The main point of contention is cost and policy consistency. The fiscal note says the proposal is not consistent with NYSLRS policy because it would credit service that was not performed for a participating employer and may also overlap with benefits from other retirement systems. It also notes that the state and participating employers would bear remaining costs after member contributions, with the exact fiscal impact uncertain until individual members apply. Another potential issue is eligibility design, including the requirement that the member have been in a federal defined benefit plan and the different contribution rate for Tier 6 members.