New York Senate Bill S10407

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

Caption

Provides for prior service credit for county fire marshals in the county of Nassau for service as a forest ranger I, forest ranger II, forest ranger III, assistant superintendent of forest fire control, or any successor titles or new titles in the forest ranger title series in the department of environmental conservation, as a police officer in the department of environmental conservation, as a park police officer trainee, park police office, sergeant park police, lieutenant park police, major park police, or any successor titles or new titles in the park police title series in the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation or other state park authority or commission, as a member of the capital police force in the office of general services, as a fire protection specialist trainee 2, fire protection specialist trainee 1, fire protection specialist 1, fire protection specialist 2, fire protection specialist 3, or any successor titles or new titles in the fire protection specialist title series of the division of homeland security and emergency services, as an airport firefighter apprentice, airport firefighter I, airport firefighter II, airport firefighter III or training and safety officer in the division of military and naval affairs, or as a uniformed court officer or peace officer employed by the unified court system.

Summary

S10407 would amend the New York retirement and social security law to grant prior service credit, for retirement purposes, to Nassau County fire marshals for a broad set of earlier public-safety jobs. The bill treats prior paid service in roles such as forest ranger, environmental conservation police officer, park police officer, capital police, fire protection specialist, airport firefighter, court officer, and district attorney criminal investigator as creditable service for members employed by Nassau County as fire marshals. The bill also adds a new category of creditable service for paid emergency medical services and emergency communications work. Under the new subdivision, service as an EMT, paramedic, emergency responder, dispatcher, emergency operator, or similar title for local governments and fire or police districts would count toward retirement service credit. The measure takes effect immediately and places all past service costs on Nassau County, with the option to amortize those costs over ten years.

Impact

The bill would expand the types of prior employment that can be counted as pensionable service under section 89-w of the retirement and social security law for a specific group of Nassau County employees. It would directly affect the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System by increasing credited service for eligible fire marshals and by adding EMS and emergency communications titles to the list of qualifying prior service. The fiscal note estimates about 25 current members could benefit, with roughly 75 years of service credit granted and a one-time past service cost of about $4.01 million to Nassau County, or about $512,000 annually if amortized over 10 years.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment appears supportive, with the bill framed as a targeted retirement benefit for public safety personnel. The measure was introduced, amended, and recommitted, suggesting active legislative handling rather than controversy over its basic purpose. The fiscal note acknowledges a significant cost, but the bill’s structure indicates an intent to provide immediate retirement credit relief for affected workers.

Contention

The main point of contention is fiscal responsibility: the bill shifts all past service costs to Nassau County, and the actuarial note highlights a substantial one-time liability. Another possible issue is the breadth of the service-credit categories, which extend beyond fire marshal work to many other public safety and emergency response titles, potentially raising questions about precedent and future cost exposure. No recorded votes or committee transcript objections are provided, so any opposition is inferred from the cost and scope rather than from documented debate.