PUBLIC DECISION BRIEF · A.9162A/S.7635B

An employer decision for a sustainable 911 career.

This page gives public officials, policy staff, reporters, and New Yorkers one sourced view of what the measure would do, what it would not do, and what the campaign is asking Governor Hochul to do.

✓ Assembly passed✓ Senate passed 60–0Awaiting delivery to the Governor

Read the six-point brief ↓Verify every source ↓

Status checked September 9, 2026. Official state records control if the status changes.

THE REQUEST

Support the measure now. Sign it when it reaches your desk.

The campaign is not claiming the bill has been delivered or that an executive-action deadline has started.

Write Governor Hochul →

THE DECISION RECORD

Six points. Plain language. Original sources.

Each point separates the bill's legal structure from the campaign's policy case.

01 · POLICY

What the measure creates

An optional, service-based 25-year retirement plan for eligible public-safety dispatchers and emergency-communications professionals. At 25 years, the current bill sets 50% of final average salary, adds 1/60 for each additional year, and caps the benefit at 75%.

The proposal sets no minimum retirement age. Uninterrupted qualifying service beginning at 18 could reach 25 years at 43; that is an illustration, not an eligibility guarantee. The official text, employer election, NYSLRS, title, duties, service, system, and individual record control.

02 · EMPLOYER CHOICE

Participation is not automatic

An eligible public employer must choose whether to offer the plan. Passage does not automatically enroll every employer or every 911 worker.

Optional means the employer chooses. Article 14 members then have the bill's separate one-year written, irrevocable individual election.

03 · PROCESS

There is an accountable adoption path

The eligible public employer obtains a NYSLRS cost estimate, adopts a resolution, and files a certified copy with the Comptroller.

This is a defined public process, not an informal promise. See the employer and member implementation guide →

04 · COST

The final fiscal note is material

Fiscal Note 2026-40 estimates that the annual employer contribution would increase by an amount equal to 7% of salary paid to affected members. It estimates a past-service cost averaging about 30% of affected-member salary, varying by employer, plus administrative costs.

The past-service cost may be paid once or over five or ten years. The statewide number of affected members is not readily determined; a roster produces the individual employer estimate.

05 · WORKFORCE

The public-safety case is career sustainability

911 professionals make time-critical decisions before responders reach the scene. A 33-study systematic review found dispatcher-assisted CPR was consistently associated with better outcomes than no dispatcher-assisted CPR.

The review rated the evidence low or very low certainty, so it supports the dispatcher's time-critical role without guaranteeing an outcome in every call. The retirement measure remains one workforce tool, not proof that it would solve recruitment, retention, or occupational stress.

06 · RECORD

The Legislature has acted

The Assembly passed the measure, and the Senate passed it 60–0. The official records do not yet show delivery to the Governor.

No deadline or “on the Governor's desk” claim until an official source establishes it.

WHAT THIS DOES NOT MEAN

The strongest case is an honest case.

Not universal.Only eligible titles, duties, qualifying service, applicable retirement-system rules, and participating employers are within the proposed structure. The campaign does not promise that every New York 911 worker or retirement system is covered.
Not automatic.An eligible employer must choose to participate through the bill's process.
Not cost-free.The electing employer would pay the cost attributable to the benefit. Final Fiscal Note 2026-40 gives estimates based on affected-member salary; each employer needs its own NYSLRS estimate.
Not a medical cutoff.Twenty-five years is the policy threshold selected by the Legislature, not a clinically validated line.
Not a medical diagnosis.The New York needs assessment reports self-described challenges and symptom composites, while the broader reviews report pooled symptom-screening estimates. None is a diagnosis of any person or proof that the bill would prevent a mental-health condition.

EVIDENCE WITH LIMITS

New York evidence documents the burden.

The 2025 New York State First Responder Mental Health Needs Assessment included 417 emergency communications respondents. Among them, 80% reported stress, 75% burnout and 93% sleep disturbance related to first-responder work.

How to read those figures

They are self-reported results for the emergency communications subgroup, not diagnoses or rates for every New York dispatcher. The report's separate composite measures were 69% for anxiety symptoms, 73% for depression symptoms and 57% for PTSD symptoms. Sixty-five percent identified overtime as a workplace stressor.

A U.S. study of 403 telecommunicators found mandatory-overtime hours were associated with higher self-reported stress symptoms, while voluntary overtime was not significantly associated. A Washington study of 324 telecommunicators linked greater burnout with poor work-life integration and coworker conflict, while job meaningfulness and greater visibility and inclusion were associated with lower burnout. These are associations, not proof of causation.

Broader reviews provide context but use different methods, populations and definitions. The 31-study review and the federal AHRQ report are companion outputs from the same evidence project, not independent confirmations.

This evidence supports taking occupational stress, staffing and career sustainability seriously. It does not prove that A.9162A/S.7635B would prevent suicide, treat a condition or solve recruitment and retention. Retirement is one workforce policy, not a substitute for safe staffing, confidential mental-health care, peer support or crisis services.

See the career comparison and research context →

SOURCE DESK

Check the campaign against the record.

Primary public records and original evidence are linked directly. The campaign corrects its language when a controlling source changes.

Official New York Senate recordS.7635B · text, vote, actions, Fiscal Note 2026-40 ↗Official New York Assembly recordA.9162A · text, vote, history ↗New York State Comptroller / NYSLRSRegular ERS Tier 6 benefit summary ↗New York State Comptroller / NYSLRSRegular ERS Tier 4, Tier 5, and Tier 6 comparison ↗New York-specific occupational-health evidenceStatewide first-responder mental-health needs assessment ↗U.S. workforce evidenceMandatory overtime and stress study ↗U.S. workforce evidenceBurnout, work-life integration and job meaning study ↗Operational public-safety evidenceDispatcher-assisted CPR systematic review ↗Peer-reviewed occupational-health evidenceSystematic review and meta-analysis ↗Additional peer-reviewed context31-study emergency-telecommunicator review ↗Federal companion evidence reportAHRQ review of EMS and 911 workforce evidence ↗Journal correctionTable and figure clarification ↗Verified signed legislative supportSheriff Scott A. Cicirello signed letter ↗

CAMPAIGN INTEGRITY

Independent. Funding sources and limited resource use disclosed. Permission-based.

NY 911 Retirement is independently organized by Casey Howe, a New York 911 supervisor, in his personal capacity. As of August 24, 2026, Casey reports approximately $70 in direct campaign expenses paid personally. The itemized costs, mixed-use ChatGPT spending, untracked volunteer time, and limited workplace-resource use are disclosed on the About page; no formal agency sponsorship is claimed. Separately, Sheriff Cicirello's signed letter supports the legislation. The campaign does not solicit monetary donations. Casey could potentially benefit only if the measure becomes law, his employer elects it, and NYSLRS determines he is eligible. Public support is named only after support evidence is verified and permission for the exact public use is documented; written permission is the default. Follows, meetings, reactions, and promises are not endorsements.

The letter tool runs on the visitor's device. The campaign records anonymous, client-reported action totals rather than letter contents; those counts are directional and are not independently verified.

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