Relates to age and service eligibility requirements for ordinary retirement for members of the unified court system

Latest action Dec 19, 2025

Relates to age and service eligibility requirements for ordinary retirement for members of the unified court system; restores 55/30 for all members; reduces the retirement age from 63 to 62.

Not chosen yet

Where it stands

Rejected by the executive.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

Vetoed

New York State Senate

Same as A8801, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Amends the Retirement and Social Security Law.

Committee

Civil Service And Pensions · New York State Senate

Also referred to Ways and Means · New York State Assembly.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

Section 1 of the bill amends subdivision (a) of Section 503 of the Retirement and Social Security Law by allowing Tier 6 uniformed court officers or peace officers employed by the Unified Court System into the age 55 retirement plans already in place for other similar employees, and reduces the normal retirement age for these employees from 63 to 62. Section 2 of the bill amends subdivisions (a) and (a-1) of Section 603 of the Retirement and Social Security Law by allowing Tier 6 uniformed court officers or peace officers employed by the Unified Court System into the age 55 retirement plans already in place for other similar employees, and reduces the normal retirement age for these employees from 63 to 62. Section 3 of the bill amends subdivisions (a) and (a-1) of Section 604 of the Retirement and Social Security Law by allowing Tier 6 uniformed court officers or peace officers employed by the Unified Court System into the age 55 retirement plans already in place for other similar employees, and reduces the normal retirement age for these employees from 63 to 62. Section 4 of the bill amends paragraph 3 of subdivision (i) of Section 603 of the Retirement and Social Security Law by allowing Tier 6 uniformed court officers or peace officers employed by the Unified Court System into the age 55 retirement plans already in place for other simi- lar employees, and reduces the normal retirement age for these employees from 63 to 62. Section 5 of the bill provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, this bill is not subject to the appropriition requirement of Retirement and Social Security Law § 25. Section 6 of the bill provides that this bill becomes effective imme- diately. 5.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Committee vote · Rules
Senate RulesJun 9, 2025Result: passed
(21) (0) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateJun 9, 2025Result: passed
(62) (0) (0) (1)

Cosponsors

Angelo Santabarbara

Democratic1

Angelo Santabarbara

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Robert Jackson says this is needed

This bill would amend the Retirement and Social Security Law to: (i) permit uniformed court officers and peace officers employed by the Unified Court System (UCS) to retire at age 55 without a reduction in pension benefits, provided they have 30 years of service; (ii) reduce the normal retirement age for such employees from 63 to 62; and (iii) lessen the reductions in benefits for those employees who retire prior to normal retirement age. Other New York State law enforcement agencies provide more competitive pension plans, with options to retire with fewer years of service and at younger ages than UCS can currently offer. For example, New York State police officers and New York State correction officers both have earlier retirement opportunities, with 20 years of service and 25 years of service respectively, regardless of age. The UCS employs highly trained peace and court officers who protect and serve each and every day, however they are treated like every other Tier 6 employee, and only are entitled to retire at age 63, regardless of how many years of service credit they have accumulated. This disparity has made it difficult for the UCS to attract and retain personnel: applications to serve as court officers are far less numerous than they were in the past and officers who begin with the courts often transfer to other jurisdictions where their years of service can be applied to positions that allow for earlier retirement with correspond- ingly greater pensions. Those difficulties have impeded the courts' ability to hear cases, as a judge cannot be in a courtroom without an officer present and officers are needed to transport defendants within the courthouse and ensure the safety of all present. Adoption of this measure, while not bringing court officer pensions into parity with those of police and corrections officers, would enhance the ability of the court system to recruit and retain more court and peace officers, and better serve New York State. 6.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

Dec 19, 2025
Vetoed
VETOED MEMO.161
NY Senate
Dec 8, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR
NY Senate
Jun 11, 2025
Ordered to Third Reading Rules CAL.641
ORDERED TO THIRD READING RULES CAL.641
NY Assembly
Jun 11, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jun 11, 2025
Reported out of committee
REPORTED
NY Assembly

Show full history (9 earlier events)

Jun 11, 2025
Substituted
SUBSTITUTED FOR A8801
NY Assembly
Jun 10, 2025
Reported out of committee
REPORTED REFERRED TO RULES
NY Assembly
Jun 9, 2025
In committee
COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
NY Senate
Jun 9, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Jun 9, 2025
Ordered to Third Reading CAL.1718
ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1718
NY Senate
Jun 9, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Jun 9, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS
NY Assembly
Jun 7, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS
NY Assembly
May 21, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS
NY Senate

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Cosponsors: The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Party colors: Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 22, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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