New York Senate Bill S10231

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/7/26
• Refer: 5/7/26

Caption

Allows Christopher Strattner, a retired police officer, to serve as chief of police for the town of Fishkill police department without diminution of retirement benefits.

Summary

S10231 is a special, person-specific pension bill that amends the Retirement and Social Security Law to allow Christopher Strattner, a retired police officer, to be employed as chief of police for the Town of Fishkill Police Department without losing or reducing his retirement benefits. The bill creates a narrow exception to the usual rules governing post-retirement public employment and earnings limitations for retired public employees, and it expressly states that the exception applies only to Strattner. To accomplish this, the bill amends section 211 to add Fishkill/Strattner-specific language authorizing the town supervisor to determine that the earnings limitations do not apply in this case. It also adds language clarifying that, for purposes of the statute, Strattner is not considered to be in service of a former employer when serving as Fishkill chief of police after retirement. The bill takes effect immediately and is drafted to avoid broader application to any other individual or municipality.

Impact

The bill would create a targeted exception to New York’s retirement and social security law, specifically the post-retirement employment restrictions and earnings cap provisions in sections 211 and 212. If enacted, it would permit Christopher Strattner to receive his pension while also serving in a compensated public safety role as Fishkill police chief, notwithstanding the usual limits that can apply when a retiree returns to public service. The measure would not change the general law for other retirees, because it expressly limits its effect to this one individual.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be a routine special-interest pension exception rather than a broadly debated policy proposal. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided material, so no formal opposition or support is documented here. The drafting suggests the sponsor’s intent is to facilitate a local staffing arrangement in Fishkill while preserving retirement benefits for the named retiree.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the bill’s individualized nature: it grants a benefit to a single named person, which can raise fairness and precedent concerns because it departs from generally applicable retirement rules. Another possible issue is whether the town should be able to bypass standard earnings limitations for a retired police officer, especially in light of the statute’s usual requirement that such exceptions be justified by recruitment difficulties. No specific objections or supporters are identified in the provided record, but those are the likely areas of debate.