Once again the Governor vetoed two very important bills which have passed both houses for the past 5 years.
First bill No. S03675, our accidental disability retirement bill which was looking promising for the first time, was vetoed on December 20th. We achieved traction on multiple fronts. First, when the Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks penned a support memo on our behalf. Second, when we met with the Governors new council Beth Garvey, at their Manhattan office with the other peace officer unions, to explain the importance of this bill for our members. Third, getting this bill submitted as a stand alone bill and not lumped in with other pension sweeteners was a huge accomplishment. And lastly, getting a support memo from the Public Employee Conference which represents over 80 unions in the state. Unfortunately for our membership the bill was still vetoed. Rest assured that we are not going to sit idle on this. We will be regrouping in the next couple of weeks with our lobbyist to formulate a new plan which we hope will get this bill finally across the goal line to protect those who protect all who work and enter our courthouses.
The second bill, No. A05940, relates to age and service eligibility requirements for ordinary retirement for members of the unified court system, restoring 55/30 for all members and reduces the retirement age from 63 to 62. (Tier 6 members).
This was supposed to be an easy fix. Not so easy as it seems, being vetoed every year since taking effect in 2012. This bill needs more attention as it is growing old fast.