Authorizes Justin Finkle to take the competitive civil service examination for the position of police officer and be placed on the eligible list for employment as a police officer for the town of Bethlehem

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Scott Bendett

Private act: authorizes Justin Finkle to take Bethlehem police officer civil service exam and be placed on the eligible list, enabling potential local hire upon results.

REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES

Overview

Bill Number: A 772

Title/Purpose: Authorizes Justin Finkle to take the competitive civil service examination for the position of police officer and be placed on the eligible list for employment as a police officer for the town of Bethlehem.

Type: Local/private act; targeted authorization for a specific individual.

Introduced: January 8, 2025

Current Status: Referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees

Sponsor: Scott H. Bendett (primary)

Key Provisions (what the bill would do)

Authorizes a named individual, Justin Finkle, to participate in the competitive civil service examination process for the police officer position.

Allows Justin Finkle to be placed on the eligible list for employment as a police officer for the Town of Bethlehem, upon successful completion of the examination and related civil service procedures.

This is a targeted, personal act affecting one specific candidate rather than a broad policy change affecting all applicants.

Parties Affected

Individual: Justin Finkle would be authorized to take the exam and be eligible for appointment as a Bethlehem police officer.

Town of Bethlehem (Police Department): Would rely on the civil service process for hiring; this bill creates a specific exemption/authorization for its eligibility list.

New York Civil Service System: The bill interacts with existing competitive examination and eligibility-list procedures, applying to a single private act rather than altering general rules.

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

Currently in the introductory stage and has been referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees.

As a private/local act, passage would typically require approval by both chambers and, if applicable, the governor. The companion Senate bill (S 4499) suggests parallel consideration across chambers.

No stated fiscal impact or effective date is included in the provided information.

Potential Impact and Context

The bill provides an exception to standard competitive examination eligibility by naming a specific individual and authorizing participation in the exam and placement on the eligible list for a local government position.

If enacted, Bethlehem would be authorized to hire Justin Finkle as a police officer according to civil service rules, subject to the exam results and local hiring processes.

The measure is narrow in scope and does not indicate changes to statewide civil service policy or broader hiring practices.

Bottom Line

A 772 is a private/local act at the early stage of consideration that would enable Justin Finkle to compete in the competitive civil service examination for a Bethlehem police officer position and be placed on the local eligible list, pending the usual exam results and hiring procedures. The bill is in committee, with a Senate companion (S 4499) existing for parallel consideration.

Bill