BILL NUMBER: S7635A
SPONSOR: RYAN C
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to
the retirement of state, county and municipal 911 operators and
dispatchers
 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:
To provide an optional 25-year retirement plan for state, county, munic-
ipal 911 operators and dispatchers.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill provides certain public safety dispatcher, public safety tele-
communicator, 911 operator, communications officers, police communi-
cation technician, emergency services call taker, emergency services
dispatcher, or any similar title, employed by the state, or county or
municipal 911 department who is responsible for receiving and managing
emergency calls, and dispatching appropriate emergency services, includ-
ing but limited to, law enforcement, fire, and medical assistance to
retire upon the completion of 25 years of creditable service if the
employing state, county, municipality, and affiliated employer elects to
provide this option.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Communication specialists and 911 operators are usually the first person
that someone speaks to when they, or a family member, are having a
medical emergency or are a victim of a crime. These first responders are
charged with ensuring that appropriate authorities arrive on the scene
in a timely and efficient manner. During the absence of emergency
response personnel, 911 employees must guide individuals on the scene
with first aid, CPR, and other types of emergency medical techniques to
save lives. These employees must also deal firsthand with victims of
domestic abuse, violence, school and workplace shootings, and other
criminal matters. Communications professionals often must respond to
several emergency situations at once and work in an extremely fast-
paced, stressful environment.
Due to the difficulty of this work, it has been hard to recruit and
retain employees in this field. The lack of dispatchers leads to manda-
tory overtime, burnout, and eventual separation from this career. In
addition, the lack of staff forces residents to sometimes wait long
periods of time to report a crime or medical emergency.
These employees are first responders and deserve a retirement package
similar to that of other law enforcement and emergency response person-
nel. To help ensure the continuity of service, quality of care, and the
accurate, timely response of on-site emergency response teams, 911
communications personnel should be granted this benefit.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
See fiscal note.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law; provided that the amendments
to sections 603 and 604 of the retirement and social security law made
by sections three and four of this act shall expire on the same date as
such sections expire pursuant to section 615 of such law.

Statutes affected:
S7635: 603 retirement and social security law, 604 retirement and social security law
S7635A: 603 retirement and social security law, 604 retirement and social security law