1. Legislative Victory: Age & Education Requirements for Civil Service Exams
In each issue, we’ll be highlighting one of CSEA’s legislative victories from this past session.
This week, we’re highlighting S.8216/A.8876, which allows individuals who are within 12 months of meeting the age or education requirements of a given civil service job to take an exam for that position. Current law requires a person to be within 6 months of meeting the age requirement. This legislation will allow prospective employees to get their foot in the door earlier, reducing the time they need to wait between meeting the job requirements and beginning a career in the public sector. Public employers will better be able to recruit students who are in their final year of a degree or education program and help fill the pipeline for critical public sector jobs.
This bill passed both houses of the State Legislature and is awaiting delivery to Governor Hochul.
2. House Republicans Pass Spending Bills
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives passed four of 12 annual appropriations bills that make up the 2025 federal budget. The federal fiscal year ends on September 30, meaning that both houses of Congress must pass, and President Biden must sign, all 12 appropriations bills by that date to avoid a government shutdown. While there is still time, House Speaker Johnson has so far failed to reach a deal on government funding with the Senate, where Democrats are in the majority. House Republicans are committed to passing all 12 appropriations bills before Congress is set for a month-long recess in August.
3. Local Sales Tax Collections Up
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released updated local sales tax numbers for 2024, showing an overall increase in collections of 3.9% compared to 2023. Local collections totaled $1.78 billion, up $66.4 million from the same time last year. Local sales tax revenue is a major part of local government finances, which allows for spending on local government services, jobs, and programs.
4. Next Week
For the summer, This Week in Albany will be published every two weeks. The next edition will be in your inbox on July 26.
5. CSEA Legislative Toolkit
We’re encouraging members to get the word out about our legislative successes. Click the icons below for informational documents that you can print, share, and post on social media to spread the news. You can also check out CSEA’s summary of the 2024-2025 Enacted Budget here.
Tier 6 Reform:
Ambulance Direct Payments:
Bumping, Retreating and Rehiring Rights:
Civil Service Exam Announcements:
School Workplace Violence Prevention Programs:
Counting Provisional Time Toward Probation: