Authorizes members or officers of the state police who were previously firefighters receive credit for such previous firefighter service

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Chris Burdick and 22 co-sponsors

Authorizes NY State Police members with prior firefighter experience to receive retirement service credit for that prior work, affecting eligibility and benefit calculations.

REPORTED REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS

Overview

Bill A 8350 would allow members or officers of the New York State Police who previously worked as firefighters to receive credit for that prior firefighter service. The bill is currently in the legislative process and has been referred to both Governmental Employees and Ways and Means committees, with a Senate companion identified as S 7986.

What the bill would do

Authorize state police personnel who previously served as firefighters to obtain service credit for their prior firefighter employment.

The provision is intended to be applied toward the member’s state police retirement benefits or service calculations (e.g., eligibility and/or benefit computation), subject to the bill’s specific terms.

Key provisions (high-level)

Eligibility: Opens eligibility to state police members/officers who have prior firefighter experience.

Type of credit: Establishes that the prior firefighter service can be credited within the state police retirement framework.

Administration: Details (e.g., duration, payment, and calculation mechanics) would be defined in the bill text; the summary notes only the authorization of credit, not the exact administrative process.

Fiscal/benefit impact: While not quantified here, granting additional service credit typically affects retirement accruals and potential costs to the retirement system.

Who would be affected

Primary beneficiaries: Current and future members or officers of the New York State Police who previously worked as firefighters.

Broader implications: Depending on the bill’s implementation, there could be changes in retirement eligibility timelines and lifetime benefit calculations for affected individuals.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduced: May 13, 2025.

Legislative actions:

May 13, 2025: Referred to Governmental Employees.
May 28, 2025: Referred to Ways and Means (listed twice in the record, likely due to legislative processing steps).

Status: REPORTED REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS (indicating assignment to the budget and fiscal committees for consideration).

Related legislation: S 7986 (companion bill in the Senate).

Fiscal and policy considerations

The bill may have budgetary implications for the state police retirement system, depending on how much additional service credit is granted and how it is purchased or funded.

Policy considerations include balancing recognition of firefighters’ prior service with the financial sustainability of retirement benefits.

Notes

The text of the bill would provide precise eligibility criteria, the mechanism for acquiring credit (e.g., buy-back of prior service), any required payments, caps, and interaction with existing retirement rules.

Both the Assembly and Senate have companion measures, highlighting cross-chamber interest in the policy.

If you’d like, I can compare this bill to the Senate companion S 7986 or draft a side-by-side summary of potential fiscal effects based on typical public retirement credit purchases.

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