(The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill that would have boosted pension benefits for park rangers, campus police and other specialized law enforcement officers, citing the substantial fiscal impact on the state government.
The proposal, approved by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in June with nearly unanimous support, called for allowing regional state park police, environmental conservation officers, forest rangers and university police officers to apply for retirement benefits after 20 years instead of the current 25-year term. Supporters said the bill was aimed at improving pay equity and helping those agencies attract and retain new officers.
But Hochul vetoed the bill, saying it would require those state agencies to come up with nearly $67 million to cover retroactive pay for the officers, which she said prompted her and previous governors to reject the changes.
“This bill has been vetoed four times over the past five years because this pension enhancement would impose substantial unbudgeted costs on the state,” Hochul, a Democrat, wrote in her veto memo. “The state would be required to pay a past service cost of $66.7 million and the annual employer contribution would increase by $6.0 million. The bill is disapproved.”
The move prompted a fiery response from Jim McCartney, president of the Police Benevolent Association of New York, who called Hochul’s “tyrannical actions” and “the most unconscionable behavior” he has “ever witnessed by government officials and a complete violation of public trust.”
“Despite our best efforts to support the governor’s public safety, environmental, and inclusion agenda, her true colors have finally shown through, and all New Yorkers can see her for the anti-police, anti-labor authoritarian that she is,” McCartney said in a statement. “One has to wonder what Governor Hochul’s democrat colleagues in the state legislature think about this. They have spoken overwhelmingly in support of our members and their specialized missions that have saved so many lives.”
Lawmakers who pushed for the proposed changes pointed out that New York state troopers and about 97% of municipal police officers have a 20-year retirement plan in which they can receive 50% of their final average salary. They also get an additional benefit known as “1/60th,” which means for every year above 20 years of employment, they get an additional 1/60th or 1.66% of their final average salary.
“For example, a police officer who has a 20-year retirement benefit, who works for 21 years, will get a pension equal to 51.66%, whereas a police officer with 22 years of experience will receive a pension worth 53.33%,” they wrote in a summary of the bill. “To rectify this discrepancy and to provide equity among law enforcement officers, this legislation authorizes the Agency Police Bargaining Unit to be given a 20-year retirement plan.”
The PBA argues that the “lack of retirement equity” is responsible for recruitment shortfalls and a “mass exodus of seasoned officers who are poached by agencies that recognize their worth and compensate them appropriately.”
Hochul’s rejection of the plan is likely to drive a further wedge between her and the state’s influential police unions, who have been sparring with the Democratic governor over crime, police funding and other law-enforcement issues.
A few days before Hochul vetoed the bill, the PBA’s specialized officer unit took out billboard ads in counties around the state, blasting Hochul for a lack of staffing at specialized agencies that has increased criminal activity.
“HELP WANTED … Our streets are less safe now,” the billboard ads read. “New Governor Needed.”
“Everywhere we look we see Governor Hochul’s failure to keep New Yorkers safe from crime and public health threats,” the PBA’s McCartney said. “While the governor pays lip service to public safety, her actions in supporting the brave officers who stand between danger and the public come up far short.”
