BILL NUMBER: S9831A
SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the retirement and social security law, the education
law, the public authorities law and the administrative code of the city
of New York, in relation to extending the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) benefit for public employee death benefits; and to amend
chapter 78 of the laws of 2021, amending the retirement and social
security law and other laws relating to establishing a coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) benefit for public employee death benefits, in
relation to the effectiveness thereof
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To provide accidental death benefits to the statutory beneficiaries of
all public employees (state and local) who worked on or after March 1,
2020, contracted COVID-19, and died of COVID-19 on or before December
31, 2024.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill extends protections until July 31, 2025, for the statutory, in
person on or after March I, 2020.
Section 1 specifies that the statutory beneficiary of any public employ-
ee enrolled in the New York State Employees' Retirement System (NYSERS)
will receive an accidental death benefit when the employee died on or
before July 31, 2025.
Section 2 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled in the New York State Police and Fire Retirement System
(NYSPFRS).
Section 3 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier III member in the New York State and NYC public
retirement systems.
Section 4 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier IV, V, or VI member of NYSERS, the New York State
Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS), the New York City Employees'
Retirement System (NYCERS), the New York City Teachers' Retirement
System (NYCTRS), and the New York City Board of Education Retirement
System (NYCBERS).
Section 5 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier I or 11 member of NYSTRS.
Section 6 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier I or II member of NYSBERS.
Section 7 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Retirement
Plan.
Section 8 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier I or II member of NYCERS.
Section 9 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier I or II member of the New York City Police Pension
Fund.
Section 10 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier 1 or II member of the New York City Fire Pension
Fund.
Section 11 specifies the same benefit shall be granted under the same
circumstances to the statutory beneficiary of any public employee
enrolled as a tier 1 or II member of NYCTRS.
Section 12 states that the bill shall take effect immediately but shall
be deemed to have been in effect on March I, 2020, and the provisions of
the bill shall expire on July 31, 2025.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The essential public workers who have showed up to work on the front-
lines during the COVID-19 public health emergency have been critical to
the functioning of New York, and the citizens of New York owe an enor-
mous amount of gratitude to each of them. For the families of the public
workers who died as a result. of COVID-19, the financial uncertainty
that follows such a tragedy must be mitigated. This bill will create
certainty for these families by mandating that they receive an acci-
dental death benefit from the state and local retirement plans. This
bill extends an automatic benefit to the families of our frontline work-
ers who worked on or after March 1, 2020, contracted COVID-19, and died
of COVID-19 on or before July 31, 2025.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Chapter 783 of the Laws of 2022
Chapter 78 of the Laws of 2021
Chapter 89 of the Laws of 2020
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to have been
in full force and effect on and after March 1, 2020; provided that the
provisions of this act shall expire and be deemed repealed on July 31,
2025.