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A10249 Summary:

A10249 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A10249
 
SPONSOR: Pheffer Amato

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act amending part B of chapter 104 of the laws of 2005 enacting the
September 11th worker protection task force act, in relation to requir-
ing appointment of members, convening of meetings and extending the
effectiveness of the provisions of such act
 
 
PURPOSE::
 
To revive and extend the September 11th Workers Protection Task Force as
created in the 2005 World Trade Center Presumption Law.
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
 
Section 1 of the bill amends Sections 4,5,10 and 11 of the September
11th Workers Protection Task Force Act, as created in Part B of Chapter
104 of the laws of 2005, to require new appointments to the task force
at the conclusion of the 2020 legislative session, set a biannual meet-
ing requirement, expand the mandated areas of study, reset the deadline
for an annual report, and extend the provisions of the act until June
10th, 2025.
 
Section 2 provides that this act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION::
 
The September 11th Workers Protection Task Force was a key component of
New York's landmark 2005 legislation creating pension benefits for first
responders who participated in the rescue, recovery and cleanup oper-
ations at the World Trade Center. The Task Force, convened to produce
recommendations on issues affecting 9/11 first responders, consisted of
19 members: six appointed by the Governor, three by the Senate, three by
the Assembly, one by the State comptroller, one by the New York City
comptroller, one by the New York City mayor, one by the Department of
Health, one by the Department of Labor, one by the Division of the Budg-
et, and one by the Department of Civil Service. The task force was
mandated to study issues such as the health impacts of exposure to
toxins at the pile, the limitations of existing laws and regulations for
accidental disability retirement benefits, and potential federal funding
to assist the state with costs.
 
First set to expire on June 10th, 2010, the task force met several times
in the years following its 2005 creation, and was so successful in
influencing the policy discussions surrounding 9/11 benefits that it was
extended multiple times throughout the years (most recently in Chapter
45 of 2015). The committee has become dormant of late, however, missing
critical opportunities to insert itself into the debate on how best to
expand and improve the World Trade Center Presumption Law.

This bill seeks to revitalize the Task Force by refreshing appointments,
expanding the areas of study to include issues more recently raised by
advocates for the first responder community, and extending the Task
Force until 2025. Lastly, the bill sets a biannual meeting requirement
to accompany the provision that the task force deliver reports on its
findings to the Governor, Senate and Assembly by June 1st each year.
These amendments seek to revive and strengthen the 9/11 Workers
Protection Task Force while holding it statutorily accountable to the
governmental leaders it seeks to advise. While the legislature has made
significant progress of late in extending unlimited sick leave and acci-
dental disability pensions to first responders not initially covered in
the 2005 law, we have much more to do before we achieve true benefits
equity for all who answered the call to action in the days following the
9/11 terrorist attacks. This bill takes a significant step towards that
equity by biannually convening experts to study any remaining gaps in
coverage for these 9/11 heroes.
 
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
 
New Bill.
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
None
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE::
 
Immediately