New York Senate Bill S07148

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/2/25
• Refer: 4/2/25
• Report Pass: 5/13/25
• Engrossed: 6/12/25
• Refer: 6/12/25
• Engrossed: 6/16/25
• Enrolled: 12/8/25
• Vetoed: 12/19/25

Caption

Provides a heart disease presumption for members employed as a probation officer, supervising probation officer or probation officer trainee of a department of probation in a city with a population of one million or more.

Summary

This bill would create a statutory presumption that heart disease suffered by certain probation personnel in a city with a population of one million or more was incurred in the performance of duty, so long as the member passed a qualifying physical exam on entry and the exam did not reveal the condition. The covered employees are probation officers, supervising probation officers, and probation officer trainees in the city’s department of probation. The presumption would apply to disability or death claims, except for workers’ compensation and labor law purposes, and could be rebutted by competent evidence. The bill also provides a performance-of-duty disability retirement benefit equal to three-fourths of final average salary for eligible members retiring under this presumption. It specifies that all past service costs of implementation are to be borne by New York City and exempts the bill from the retirement and social security law’s appropriation requirement, making the measure immediately effective.

Impact

The bill amends the Retirement and Social Security Law by adding a new section 607-m, creating a special heart disease presumption and enhanced pension benefit for a narrowly defined class of NYC probation employees. It would change the disability retirement standard for affected Tier 4 and Tier 6 NYCERS members from the ordinary disability framework to a duty-related presumption, and it would increase potential death and disability benefits for qualifying claims. The fiscal note indicates the cost would be borne by New York City and could increase employer contributions and unfunded liabilities for NYC retirement systems.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have strong support in the Legislature. It passed the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee unanimously, then cleared Senate Rules and both chambers with overwhelming or unanimous floor votes, including 59-0 in the Senate and 142-2 in the Assembly. The voting pattern suggests broad agreement that the bill addresses a targeted occupational risk for probation officers.

Contention

There is little visible opposition in the available record, but the main policy issue is fiscal responsibility and the scope of the benefit expansion. The fiscal note highlights that the measure would increase employer contributions and unfunded liabilities, with costs allocated to New York City rather than the state. Another point of potential contention is the narrow class of employees covered: the bill applies only to probation personnel in cities of one million or more, which effectively targets New York City and may raise questions about parity with other public safety or correction-related workers.