STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9532
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Employees
AN ACT granting retroactive membership with Tier IV status in the New
York state and local employees' retirement system to William Kerr
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary,
2 William Kerr, who was employed by the village of Cooperstown with a
3 start date of August 24, 1984, and who is currently a member of the New
4 York state and local employees' retirement system, who through no fault
5 of his own did not become a member of the New York state and local
6 employees' retirement system on August 24, 1984 when he first became
7 eligible for membership in such system, shall be deemed to have been a
8 member of the New York state and local employees' retirement system on
9 such date when he commenced employment and shall be granted Tier IV
10 status, provided that an application is filed with the head of the New
11 York state and local employees' retirement system within one year from
12 the effective date of this act. Upon granting of such retroactive
13 membership, William Kerr shall not be granted a refund of any employee
14 contribution made by him to the New York state and local employees'
15 retirement system.
16 § 2. All past service costs associated with the implementation of this
17 act shall be borne by the village of Cooperstown.
18 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
This bill would grant Tier 4 status in the New York State and Local
Employees' Retirement System (NYSLERS) to William Kerr, a current Tier 6
member employed by the Department of Health, by changing their date of
membership to August 24, 1984. There will be no refund of member
contributions.
We estimate that the Department of Health's annual contributions will
increase $12,000 beginning FYE 2027. Annual costs will vary as the bill-
ing rates and salary of William Kerr change.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14065-02-6
A. 9532 2
In addition, there will be an immediate past service cost of $66,300
borne by the village of Cooperstown as a one-time payment. This cost
assumes that payment will be made on February 1, 2027.
Summary of relevant resources:
Membership data as of March 31, 2025 was used to measure the impact of
the bill, the same data used in the Actuarial Valuations dated April 1,
2025. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the 2025 Report
of the Actuary and the 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. The
actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the 2025 Annual
Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and the Codes, Rules
and Regulations of the State of New York: Audit and Control. The fair
value of assets and GASB disclosures can be found in the 2025 Financial
Statements and Supplementary Information.
Assumptions, demographics, and other considerations may have been
modified to better reflect specific provisions of any proposed benefit
change(s).
This fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
of the bill, nor is it intended to serve as a substitute for the profes-
sional judgment of an attorney.
This estimate, dated January 5, 2026, and intended for use only during
the 2026 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note Number 2026-10. As Chief
Actuary of the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), I,
Aaron Schottin Young, hereby certify that this analysis complies with
applicable Actuarial Standards of Practice as well as the Code of
Professional Conduct and Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing
Statements of Actuarial Opinion of the American Academy of Actuaries, of
which I am a member. I am a member of NYSLRS but do not believe it
impairs my objectivity.
