NY State Senate Bill 2025-S5619

Senate Bill S5619

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Allows first responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to request line of duty sick leave

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 26, 2025	referred to local government

co-Sponsors

2025-S5619 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2485
Current Committee:: Senate Local Government
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Add §92-e, Gen Muni L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: A4646
2023-2024: S4255, A3701

2025-S5619 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows first responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to request line of duty sick leave.

2025-S5619 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5619

SPONSOR: ASHBY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to allowing first
responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to
request line of duty sick leave

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To provide line of duty sick leave to first responders whit) are diag-
nosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends general municipal law by adding a new section 92-e to
require that first responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder by a licensed psychiatrist as a result of the perform-
ance of their duties are granted line of duty sick leave per their writ-
ten request; to ensure that employers do not take adverse personnel
action against a first responder who requests line of duty sick leave

due to post-traumatic stress disorder; to define "adverse political
action" as any discipline against an employee utilizing line of duty
sick leave as a result of being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
disorder.

Section 2 declares that the state will reimburse any public authority or
municipal corporation of less than one million people for the cost of
any line of duty sick leave granted pursuant to this act.

Section 3 asserts that the bill will take effect immediately, and any
employee of the state, public authority, or municipal corporation who is
utilizing line of duty sick leave due to being diagnosed with post-trau-
matic stress disorder shall receive a restoration of such sick leave
retroactive to the date such employee was diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious and debilitating
mental health condition. First responders, including firefighters,
police officers, and emergency medical personnel, who are diagnosed with
post-traumatic stress disorder should be entitled to line of duty sick
leave. This legislation aims to support and protect New York State's
first responders who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
disorder as a result of the performance of their duties by granting them
line of duty sick leave without the loss of their accrued sick leave or
vacation leave.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24: S.4255 - Referred to Gov Ops.

2021-22: A.4646- Referred to governmental employees.

 
FISCAL /IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, and any employee of the state,
public authority, or municipal corporation who is utilizing line of duty
sick leave due to being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
shall receive a restoration of such sick leave retroactive to the date
such employee was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

2025-S5619 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5619
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 26, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  ASHBY, WALCZYK -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
 
 AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to allowing first
   responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic  stress  disorder  to
   request line of duty sick leave

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The general municipal  law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 section 92-e to read as follows:
   § 92-E. SICK LEAVE FOR FIRST RESPONDERS WITH PTSD. 1.  NOTWITHSTANDING
 ANY  OTHER  LAW,  RULE, OR REGULATION TO THE CONTRARY, A FIRST RESPONDER
 INCLUDING A FIREFIGHTER, POLICE OFFICER, OR EMERGENCY MEDICAL  PERSONNEL
 WHO  IS  AN  EMPLOYEE OF THE STATE, A PUBLIC AUTHORITY, OR ANY MUNICIPAL
 CORPORATION, WHO IS DIAGNOSED WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER  BY  A
 PSYCHIATRIST  LICENSED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE OF THE
 EDUCATION LAW WHICH ARISES FROM SUCH FIRST  RESPONDER'S  PERFORMANCE  OF
 SUCH FIRST RESPONDER'S DUTIES, SHALL, AFTER SUBMITTING A WRITTEN REQUEST
 FOR LINE OF DUTY SICK LEAVE, BE GRANTED LINE OF DUTY SICK LEAVE COMMENC-
 ING  ON THE DATE THAT SUCH FIRST RESPONDER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH POST-TRAU-
 MATIC STRESS DISORDER. THE FIRST RESPONDER SHALL BE COMPENSATED AT  SUCH
 FIRST  RESPONDER'S  REGULAR  RATE  OF  PAY  FOR THOSE REGULAR WORK HOURS
 DURING WHICH SUCH FIRST RESPONDER IS ABSENT FROM WORK DUE TO SUCH  FIRST
 RESPONDER'S  DIAGNOSED  POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. SUCH LEAVE SHALL
 BE PROVIDED WITHOUT THE LOSS OF THE FIRST RESPONDER'S ACCRUED SICK LEAVE
 OR VACATION LEAVE.
   2. AN EMPLOYER SHALL NOT TAKE ANY ADVERSE PERSONNEL ACTION  AGAINST  A
 FIRST  RESPONDER  REGARDING  SUCH  FIRST  RESPONDER'S EMPLOYMENT BECAUSE
 EITHER (I) THE FIRST RESPONDER UTILIZES, OR REQUESTS  TO  UTILIZE,  SICK
 LEAVE  OR  ANY  OTHER  AVAILABLE  LEAVE  DUE TO DIAGNOSED POST-TRAUMATIC
 STRESS DISORDER, OR (II) THE FIRST RESPONDER  UTILIZES  OR  REQUESTS  TO
 UTILIZE LINE OF DUTY SICK LEAVE PROVIDED BY THIS SECTION.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03592-01-5

 S. 5619                             2
 
   3.  FOR  PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, AN "ADVERSE PERSONNEL ACTION" MEANS
 ANY DISCIPLINE, INCLUDING ISSUING A  NOTICE  OF  DISCIPLINE,  DISCHARGE,
 SUSPENSION, DEMOTION, PENALIZATION, OR DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AN EMPLOY-
 EE UTILIZING LINE OF DUTY SICK LEAVE PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS
 SECTION.
   §  2.  The  state  shall  reimburse  any public authority or municipal
 corporation of less than one million people for the cost of any line  of
 duty sick leave granted pursuant to this act.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 any employee who is currently employed by the state,  public  authority,
 or  municipal  corporation  who  has  been diagnosed with post-traumatic
 stress disorder and is using sick  leave  due  to  such  disorder  shall
 receive  a  restoration  of such sick leave retroactive to the date such
 employee was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Senate Bill S5619

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Sponsored By

Jacob Ashby