BILL NUMBER: S10572
SPONSOR: STEWART-COUSINS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend chapter 617 of the laws of 1937 relating to an addi-
tional alternative form of government for the county of Westchester, in
relation to the authority of the state civil service commission to
administer the county service in Westchester
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to align the process for changing jurisdic-
tional classification positions in Westchester County with the process
found in agencies across the State.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends the laws of 1937 to remove the State Civil
Service Commission's ability to act in personnel areas, including the
jurisdictional classification of positions in Westchester County.
Section 2 amends the laws of 1937 to remove the requirement that the
State Civil Service Commission approve any procedure involving appoint-
ments, separations, promotions, demotions. transfers, or reinstatements
of positions in Westchester County.
Section 3 is the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Civil Service Law requires that all titles are initially classified in
the Competitive class. Under certain circumstances defined in the Law, a
title may be reclassified out of the Competitive class and placed into
one of four other jurisdictional classifications: Labor, Non-Competi-
tive, Exempt, or Unclassified.
Existing law establishes a specific process for making such changes,
including notice, public hearing and submission of a request to the New
York State Civil Service Commission. For most agencies across New York
State, once the Commission approves the request, the reclassification
change is filed with the Secretary of State and takes effect. However,
Chapter 617 of the laws of 1937 treats Westchester County differently.
For Westchester County, Commission approval is not sufficient. A sepa-
rate, explicit signatory approval from the Governor is required before
any change can be implemented.
As a result, Westchester County has experienced significant delays in
title reclassification, often extending the process for months. The
impact is particularly acute for NY HELPS (Hiring for Emergency Limited
Placement) appointments, where some approvals have been pending for
nearly a year. These delays adversely affect employees who must wait for
appointments to be finalized. This bill would remove certain powers of
the state civil service commission regarding jurisdictional classifica-
tion positions, aligning Westchester County's process with the rest of
the State.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.