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S02448 Summary:

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S02448 Committee Votes:

S02448 Floor Votes:

S02448 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         2448--A
            Cal. No. 907
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                    January 23, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by Sens. FARLEY, AKSHAR, LARKIN, MARCHIONE -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Local  Government  -- recommitted to the Committee on Local Government
          in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --  reported  favorably  from
          said  committee  and committed to the Committee on Finance -- reported
          favorably from said committee, ordered to  first  and  second  report,
          ordered  to  a  third  reading,  passed by Senate and delivered to the
          Assembly, recalled, vote  reconsidered,  restored  to  third  reading,
          amended  and  ordered  reprinted,  retaining its place in the order of
          third reading
 
        AN ACT to amend the general municipal  law,  in  relation  to  providing
          notice  of health insurance contracts for retired officers, employees,
          and their families
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 92-a of the general municipal law,
     2  as  amended by chapter 805 of the laws of 1984 and as further amended by
     3  section 104 of part A of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended  and
     4  a new subdivision 2-a is added to read as follows:
     5    2.  [A]  Consistent  with  the provisions of subdivision two-a of this
     6  section, a public corporation may contract with a non-profit  membership
     7  corporation,  organized  under  article forty-three of the insurance law
     8  and approved by the superintendent of financial services and  the  state
     9  board  of social welfare, or with any insurance company authorized to do
    10  business in this state for the purpose of furnishing medical and  surgi-
    11  cal  services  and  hospital  service  as defined in such article forty-
    12  three, or medical and surgical and hospital  insurance  to  persons  who
    13  contract with such non-profit membership corporation or insurance compa-
    14  ny,  or  who  subscribe to a plan or plans, as hereinafter provided. Any
    15  such contract entered into by a  public  corporation  shall  permit  any
    16  officer  or  employee  or group of officers or employees of an agency or
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04353-05-6
        S. 2448--A                          2
 
     1  department of the public corporation voluntarily to subscribe to a  plan
     2  or  plans providing for medical and surgical and hospital insurance for,
     3  or medical and surgical services and hospital service to, such  officers
     4  or  employees  and  their  families. Any such contract entered into by a
     5  public corporation may, if authorized by the governing board or body and
     6  subject to such conditions, limitations and eligibility requirements  as
     7  may  be  fixed  by  such  board or body, permit any retired officers and
     8  employees or group of retired officers and employees  of  an  agency  or
     9  department  of the public corporation voluntarily to subscribe to such a
    10  plan or plans to provide such insurance for or service to themselves and
    11  their families. The comptroller  or  other  disbursing  officer  of  the
    12  public corporation, or of any fund out of which officers or employees of
    13  such public corporation are paid, is authorized to deduct from the wages
    14  or  salary  of such contracting or subscribing officer or employee, with
    15  his prior consent, in writing, the sums required  to  be  paid  by  such
    16  officer  or employee to such non-profit membership corporation or insur-
    17  ance company. Such public corporation, if such contract or plan provides
    18  that the employer shall contribute a share of the cost of  such  medical
    19  and  surgical services and hospital service, or medical and surgical and
    20  hospital insurance, for its officers and employees or  retired  officers
    21  and  employees,  is  authorized to appropriate a sum required to be paid
    22  under such contract by the public corporation as employer. The sum to be
    23  paid by it under such contract, in the discretion of such public  corpo-
    24  ration,  may  be  any  percentage  of the total cost including the whole
    25  thereof. Where the compensation of any officer or employee  whose  posi-
    26  tion is covered by medical and surgical services and hospital service or
    27  medical  and surgical and hospital insurance pursuant to this section is
    28  paid from a special or administrative fund  provided  for  by  law,  the
    29  contributions  required  to  be  paid by the public corporation for such
    30  coverage shall be paid from such special  or  administrative  fund.  The
    31  public  corporation shall be authorized to pay directly to such non-pro-
    32  fit membership corporation or to such insurance company,  the  total  of
    33  such appropriation and of such officer and employee deductions.
    34    2-a.  Ninety days prior to the governing board of a public corporation
    35  authorizing or approving a contract or plan of health insurance,  or  an
    36  amendment  thereto,  for  retired  officers, retired employees, or their
    37  families pursuant to subdivision two of this section, the public  corpo-
    38  ration  shall  give  written  notice  of such proposed contract, plan or
    39  amendment, to the retired officers, retired employees, or their families
    40  who are covered under such contract or plan. Where the contract, plan or
    41  amendment is contracted for as part of  negotiations  between  a  public
    42  corporation  and a recognized and certified employee organization pursu-
    43  ant to article fourteen of the civil service law,  such  written  notice
    44  shall  be given at the time such health insurance contract is binding on
    45  the covered retired officers, retired employees, or their families. Such
    46  written notice shall contain either: (a) the full text of such  proposed
    47  contract,  plan  or  amendment  and  any  relevant financial information
    48  including, but not limited to the cost of the proposed contract, plan or
    49  amendment to the public corporation and the cost to the covered  retired
    50  officers, retired employees, or their families; or (b) the general terms
    51  of  the  proposed  contract,  plan  or amendment along with the physical
    52  location and web address to a secure website where the  covered  retired
    53  officers,  retired employees or their family members can obtain the full
    54  text of such proposed contract,  plan  or  amendment  and  any  relevant
    55  financial  information  including,  but  not  limited to the cost of the
    56  proposed contract, plan or amendment to the public corporation  and  the
        S. 2448--A                          3
 
     1  cost  to the covered retired officers, retired employees, or their fami-
     2  lies.
     3    §  2.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any
     4  health insurance contract or plan entered into,  renewed,  modified,  or
     5  amended on or after such effective date.