New York Assembly Bill A04081 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4081 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 31, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to establishing the COVID heroes grant program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 130 of the civil service law is amended by adding 2 a new subdivision 15 to read as follows: 3 15. COVID heroes grant program. a. Any essential employee employed at 4 a state university of New York hospital, who worked in-person at such 5 hospital at any time during the COVID-19 state disaster emergency 6 declared pursuant to executive order number two hundred two of two thou- 7 sand twenty, as amended, shall be awarded a lump sum COVID heroes grant 8 differential. 9 b. Such COVID heroes grant differential shall equal twenty-five 10 hundred dollars. Such COVID heroes grant differential shall be in addi- 11 tion to such employee's basic annual salary, and shall not affect or 12 impair any performance advancement payments, performance awards, longev- 13 ity payments or other rights or benefits to which such employee may be 14 entitled under the provisions of this chapter; provided, however, that 15 any differential payable pursuant to this subdivision shall be included 16 as compensation for retirement purposes. 17 c. For the purposes of this subdivision, "essential employee" shall 18 mean any employee providing in-person essential services or functions 19 during the COVID-19 state disaster emergency declared pursuant to execu- 20 tive order number two hundred two of two thousand twenty, as amended, 21 and designated as an essential employee or essential worker pursuant to 22 such executive order, as amended, or by any law, rule or regulation. 23 § 2. Any essential employee employed in a professional services nego- 24 tiating unit position or in a managerial/confidential position in the 25 unclassified service at a state university of New York hospital who EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01965-01-5 
 A. 4081 2 1 worked in-person at any time in such hospital during the COVID-19 state 2 disaster emergency declared pursuant to executive order number 202 of 3 2020, as amended, shall be awarded a COVID heroes grant differential. 4 Such COVID heroes grant differential shall equal $2,500. Such COVID 5 heroes grant differential shall be in addition to such employee's basic 6 annual salary, and shall not affect or impair any other compensation, 7 rights, or benefits to which such employee may be entitled; provided, 8 however, that any COVID heroes grant differential payable pursuant to 9 subdivision 15 of section 130 of the civil service law shall be included 10 as compensation for retirement purposes. For the purposes of this 11 section, "essential employee" shall mean any employee providing in-per- 12 son essential services or functions during the COVID-19 state disaster 13 emergency declared pursuant to executive order number 202 of 2020, as 14 amended, and designated as an essential employee or essential worker 15 pursuant to such executive order, as amended, or by any law, rule or 16 regulation. 17 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.