Provides that certain members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol or the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots shall be granted leave from work with pay for air force assigned missions

2025 Regular Session Introduced by John Liu and 4 co-sponsors

The bill grants paid, non-seniority-penalized leave for public employees who are CAP or Coast Guard Auxiliary pilots to participate in emergency or air-force missions, up to 20 day

1ST REPORT CAL.1215

Overview

Senate Bill 9406 (2025-2026, New York) proposes to amend the civil service law to provide paid leave for certain public employees who are members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol (CAP) or the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots when they participate in air-force assigned missions. The leave is to be granted without loss of seniority and with pay, up to a defined annual limit.

Purpose and intent

Ensure that public officers and state employees who volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol or Coast Guard Auxiliary can participate in air-force assigned missions or emergency services during a declared state of emergency without financial or career penalties.

Align state personnel policies with the commitment of service members to national defense and emergency response missions conducted through auxiliary organizations.

Key provisions

Eligibility: Public officers and state employees who are members of:

United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol, or
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots

Leave entitlement:

Granted leave from work with pay specifically for participation in emergency services during a declared state of emergency or during an air-force assigned mission.
Leave is requested in writing by the unit commander and approved by the chief administrative officer of the employee’s state agency, department, or bureau.

Compensation during leave:

Employees are compensated at their regular rate of pay for the regular work hours missed while participating in the mission.

Effects on existing benefits:

Leave does not affect or reduce:
Seniority
Sick leave
Vacation leave
Other overtime compensation to which the employee would otherwise be entitled

Duration:

The paid leave is capped at a maximum of twenty (20) days in any calendar year.

Effective date:

The act takes effect immediately upon any potential enactment.

Affected individuals and scope

Covered employees are public officers and state employees who are members of:

U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol, or
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots

The policy applies during:

Declared state of emergency emergencies, for emergency service participation, and/or
Air force assigned missions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Legislative status:

Introduced in the Senate by Sen. Liu and others; co-sponsors include Mario Mattera, Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, James Skoufis, Tony Palumbo.
Referred to the Civil Service and Pensions Committee; later reported and committed to Finance.

Effective date:

Immediate upon enactment (no separate phase-in period).

Practical implications

Employers (state agencies) must approve leave requests in accordance with the bill, ensuring administrative alignment with mission schedules.

Employees who participate in CAP or Coast Guard Auxiliary air missions would not incur penalties or loss of benefits due to the absence, provided the absence is within the 20-day annual cap.

The policy supports continuity of service for emergency response and auxiliary missions while protecting personnel advancement and benefits.

Notes

The bill explicitly states that the new leave provisions operate "Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary," indicating a broad override to the existing civil service or leave rules for the specified volunteers during the covered missions.

The annual cap of 20 days is a key limiting factor to monitor in implementation and any future amendments.