BILL NUMBER: S8611
SPONSOR: MANNION
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to authorizing munic-
ipal and/or authority owned or operated airports to hire and promote
employees on a permanent basis
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to authorize airports owned by a munici-
pality or a New York Public Authority to permanently hire for critical
aviation positions.
 
SUMMAR OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of this bill would authorize airports owned by a municipality
or a New York Public Authority to hire permanently for certain qualified
persons for aviation positions without the need to hire provisionally.
Section 2 of this bill would provide that the effective date shall take
effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Hiring in the field of aviation is competitive and specialized, as there
is a finite pool of qualified candidates nationwide to fill these highly
technical positions. Current Civil Service rules only allow a person to
be hired provisionally for a position until they take and pass the
appropriate civil service exam, making it difficult for airports in the
State to hire aviation professionals permanently. Additionally, exams
for any aviation position may take years before being offered. Further-
more, if a person takes the test and does not score in the "top-three"
they will be out of a job despite having years of experience and good
performance.
This system ensures that it is extremely difficult for airports in the
State to recruit and retain talent. Potential candidates are often
moving from different parts of the country and will not uproot their
families and careers for a provisional position, in the chance that they
do not score "top-three" and lose their job. Critical positions are
going unfilled which negatively impacts airport operations and air
passenger safety.
Authorizing airports in the State to hire permanently without the need
to hire provisionally would place airports in the State on an even
competitive field with other airports across the country and allow such
airports to attract top talent into the State. This bill would authorize
airports owned by a municipality or a New York Public Authority to hire
permanently for certain qualified persons for aviation positions without
the need to hire provisionally.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become law.

Statutes affected:
S8611: 65 civil service law