BILL NUMBER: S8147A
SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to
providing a heart disease presumption for certain New York police
department traffic enforcement agents
 
PURPOSE:
Provides for a heart disease presumption for certain New York police
department traffic enforcement agents
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 creates a new Section 607-i of the retirement and social secu-
rity law to provide that any heart disease that impairs the health of a
member in the employ of the City of New York police department in the
titles of traffic enforcement agent I and traffic enforcement agent II
is presumptive evidence that the illness was acquired during the
performance and discharge of their duties. The traffic enforcement agent
will be entitled to retire on a pension equal to three-quarters of their
final average salary.
Section 2 provides that all past service costs associated with imple-
menting the provisions of this act shall be borne by the city of New
York.
Section 3 provides that none of the provisions of this act shall be
subject to the appropriation requirement of section twenty-five of this
chapter.
Section 4 provides that the act shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Traffic Enforcement Agents (TEAs)are one of the most critical but under-
appreciated civil servants. There are few if any other civil servants
who spend their entire day outdoors, on their feet, whether it's 10
degrees outside, 100 degrees outside, raining or snowing. And they do a
job critical to NYC. Level 1 Traffic agent4Anforce parking rules. They
help keep restricted areas like bus stops, hospital entries, Access-a-
Ride drop offs, and school safety zones clear, and allow street cleaning
to occur. And in doing their job they bring in a billion dollars a year,
or more, in revenue. Level 2 Traffic Agents stand in intersections,
keeping traffic moving, and help keep streets from getting congested.
Employees in both titles do an underappreciated job, which takes an
enormous toll on their bodies, for which they get paid very little.
The toll caused by 8-10 hours a day of standing, in all kinds of weath-
er, is great, particularly on their cardiovascular systems. TEAs age
quickly and suffer a far larger degree of heart-related, and other
cardiovascular illnesses, and eventually disabilities. If they are
forced to retire because of their disability, often with families to
support, the three-quarters pension will compensate them for their
contribution to NYC.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
See fiscal note.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.