Many
bills still await governor’s OK
Retirement, whistleblower laws top bills PEF pushed
through 2002 Legislature
By SHERRY
HALBROOK
PEF was able to build sufficient bi-partisan support for
approximately 15 bills that it supports to get them
passed by both houses of the state Legislature this year.
Now the ball is in the governor’s court as he
decides whether to sign or veto them.
“The governor already has signed five of the bills
most important to PEF members,” said PEF President
Roger Benson. “These laws give our members stronger
retirements, better job security when they act to protect
patient care, and greater health protections and
confidentiality.”
They include the Early Retirement and 25/55 legislation,
Whistleblower Protection for health care workers and
Parole Employees’ Confidentiality legislation.
He also signed an expansion of Workers’ Compensation
coverage to include all state employees in state prisons
who are exposed to possible infections through contact
with bodily fluids.
And he signed legislation making Tier 1 and 2 state
employees who were on leave without pay for more than 12
weeks eligible for additional pension-service credit that
was granted to other employees in those tiers in 2000.
The governor has also signed two bills that PEF opposed.
One imposes a mandatory continuing education requirement
for licensed professional engineers.
The other bill authorizes the sale of a state parking lot
in downtown Albany to the Albany Catholic Diocese.
However, state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has
assured PEF that any PEF members who lose their parking
because of this sale will be accommodated elsewhere.
Both the state Assembly and Senate have adjourned and
most of the lawmakers are focusing on their re-election
campaigns.
Nevertheless, PEF Legislative Director Brian Curran said
there is still an outside chance the Legislature could
reconvene yet this year to deal with several unresolved
issues, including funding to continue the state Super
Fund and proposed reform of the Rockefeller drug laws.
A steady stream of bills that passed both houses are
being sent to the governor for his action through
December.
Up to the
governor
Several bills of interest to PEF were delivered to Gov.
George Pataki in mid-July and early August. They are:
• Earnings Cap — S7141/A10236A increases from
$20,000 to $25,000 the amount a retired public employee
can earn in public employment annually without affecting
his or her pension;
• Breast Cancer Screening — S6071A/A10208 would
allow state employees leave of up to four hours annually
for breast-cancer screening without the need to charge it
against any other leave;
• Licensing Social Workers — S7711A/A11761A
would provide for professional licensing of social
workers and establish minimum requirements for education
and training;
• Age Limits — S3365A/A4190A would reduce the
age from 70 to 65 that a retired public employee would
become exempt from limitations on how much they could
earn in post-retirement public service without being
subject to pension reductions; and
• SUNY Service Credit — S2400B/A8904B would
allow employees of the state University of New York, who
are members of the state Employees Retirement System and
who work a full academic year, to receive 12 months of
pension credit.
Waiting their
turn
Other bills supported by PEF that passed in both houses,
have yet to be sent to the governor. They include
measures to provide better retirements and working
conditions for PEF members.
They are:
• Privacy Protection — S6707A/A10040A would
prohibit the use of state employees’ Social Security
numbers on state documents, except when that use is
required or authorized by law or for state Health
Insurance Program documents;
• Involuntary Reassignments — S2365/A10239
would require that involuntary reassignments of state
employees to work outside their present or contiguous
county, be done on the basis of least senior employees
reassigned first;
• Leave Extension — S7580/A11619 would extend
the minimum period of leave due to an occupational injury
from one year to two years if the injured employee can
show a reasonable likelihood that he or she will recover
within two years;
• Child Care Service Credit — S5602A/A9029A
would allow public employees to obtain pension service
credit of up to one year for a period of leave without
pay for child care authorized by applicable regulations
or a collective-bargaining agreement; and
• Union Organizing — S7822/A11784A would
prohibit the use of state funds to promote or deter union
organizing.
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The Communicator
September 2002
The Official Online Edition of
The New York State Public Employees
Federation
Inside This
Issue:
Features
PEF backs Pataki re-election
bid
PEF Board votes to back
candidates in ’02 races
PEF joins fight against
soaring Rx costs
Early retirement windows
opening
Q&A on 25/55, ERI
9/11; One Year Later:
‘Everything is different’ since 9/11
PEF fights for counseling
Victims’ families
grateful for PEF’s help
Contributions of PEF
activists missed
PEF to dedicate memorial
Departments
President's Message:
Endorsements and Loyalty
You Said It: Member's
letters this month
Member Mobilization: 8 steps
to success
Legislative Action:
Retirement, whistleblower laws
Nurses' Station: Help make
new future for nursing
Retirees In Action: Lucky to
get 1% COLA
PEF Membership Benefits
Program & Travel Corp
Union Matters
2002 Convention Preview
PEF researcher’s
discovery offers hope
Members show interest in
PS&T negotiations
Division 236 at Parole fully
mobilized
Members at Labor Dept. win
back rights
PEF fights big chemo bills
PEF vets keep wagering safe
bet
PEF wins OT pay
Highlights of PEF Exec
Board’s meeting
Member’s kids wins
scholarships
Support true charities, job
security
GET OUT THE VOTE!
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