BILL NUMBER: S7548A
SPONSOR: RYAN C
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to the powers of
the Syracuse regional airport authority
 
PURPOSE:
To classify positions for the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority
("SRAA") in the "exempt" civil service class.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends subdivision 12 of section 2799-ggg to classify that
SRAA positions, with the exception of all police positions, shall be in
the exempt class of civil service.
Section 2: Establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Hiring in the field of aviation is a very competitive and specialized.
There is a finite pool of qualified candidates nationwide to fill these
highly technical positions. In recent years, the New York State Civil
Service system has made it very difficult for New York airports to hire
aviation professionals. 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. However, exams for a given position may
take years before being offered. Even then, if a person takes the test
and does not score in the "top-3" they will be out of a job despite
having years of good performance.
This system makes it extremely difficult for the Syracuse Regional
Airport Authority 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. The net effect
is that critical positions are going unfilled, negatively impacting
airport operations.
This legislation seeks to remedy the issue by reclassifying SRAA posi-
tions in the "exempt" class. This will put the SRAA on an even compet-
itive field with other airports in the United States and allow them to
attract top talent to the State.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.