1. CSEA-Supported Bills Make Progress
Now that the budget is done, CSEA has shifted focus to our end-of-session legislative priorities. Several CSEA-supported bills have made progress, including:
- A.8876 (Pheffer Amato) / S.8216 (Jackson): This legislation authorizes a person who is within one year of the minimum age or education requirements of a civil service position to sit for an examination. The goal of this bill is to recruit younger employees who will be graduates from high school, college, or other career training programs.
- A.9386 (Pheffer Amato) / S.8557 (Jackson): This legislation would allow time spent in a provisional title to count towards any time required to take a promotional exam.
- A.9349 (Pheffer Amato) / S.8551 (Jackson): This legislation requires the Department of Civil Service to review exams every five years and update questions as needed.
CSEA will be working hard to ensure that these bills, and others, cross the finish line before the end of session on June 6.
2. New York’s Equal Rights Amendment
In November, your General Election ballot was supposed to include a referendum on New York’s Equal Rights Amendment, which would enshrine the right to an abortion and include protections against gender discrimination in the State Constitution. However, this week, the Supreme Court ruled the amendment “null and void” due to a procedural misstep, removing it from consideration. Democrats are expected to appeal this decision.
3. Cooney Appointed Transportation Chair
State Sen. Jeremy Cooney, who represents parts of Monroe County, was selected to serve as the new Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. The committee, formerly led by Tim Kennedy, deals with legislation and programs related to the Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Motor Vehicles (DMV), the New York State Thruway Authority, and various regional transportation authorities and commissions, including the MTA.
4. Social Security Trust Fund
This week, the Social Security Board of Trustees released its annual report on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. According to the report, the Trust Funds are projected to have enough dedicated revenue to pay all scheduled benefits and associated administrative costs until 2035, one year later than projected last year.
5. Next Week
The State Legislature will convene on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week. There are 15 scheduled session days remaining in the year.
6. 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: