BILL NUMBER: S7716
SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to
enacting the "building recruitment and incentives for dedicated govern-
ment employees (BRIDGE) act"
 
PURPOSE:
This bill would allow federal employees who have been terminated by the
Trump Administration the opportunity to purchase credit in New York
State's public retirement system upon commencing employment in New York
State service.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Amends the retirement and social security law by adding a new article,
20-A which enumerates when a member of the public retirement system of
New York State may be eligible for credit for prior employment in the
federal government.
Section 1010 provides the following:
That a federal employee may be eligible for a credit of up (and not to
exceed) five years, so long as they were previously enrolled in a feder-
al defined benefit plan.
An applicant must have at least 5 years of credited service to be eligi-
ble to receive the credit.
Provides that the credit for federal employees shall be considered sepa-
rately from credit granted for military service in accordance with
Section 1000 of this Chapter.
States that in order to be eligible to receive credit under this
section, a member shall make an application for such credit prior to the
effective date of retirement.
Provides that all costs for service credited to a member, shall be paid
by the state and all employers that participate in the retirement system
in which the member is granted credit.
Provides that in the event of death prior to retirement, the amount paid
by the member for the purchase of federal service shall be refunded,
with interest, to the extent the federal service purchased with such
amounts does not produce a greater death benefit than would have been
payable had the member not purchased such credit.
States that a member who first joins a public retirement system of the
state on or after April 1, 2012, shall pay such retirement system for
deposit in the fund used to accumulate employer contributions, a sum
equal to the product of the number of years of federal service being
claimed and six percent of such member's compensation earned during the
12 months of credited service immediately preceding the date that the
member made application for credit pursuant to this section.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Building Recruitment and Incentives for Dedicated Government Employ-
ees (BRIDGE) Act would recognize the service of those whose employment
has been terminated by Eon Musk and DOGE, while capitalizing on these
crude and cruel actions to strengthen New York State. Specifically, the
BRIDGE Act would allow former Federal employees to purchase up to three
years of credit in a public retirement system of the State for previous
employment by the Federal government. This would provide an incentive
for former federal employees to bring their skills and expertise to the
State government, complementing efforts already under way to recruit
these public servants.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
See fiscal note.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.