NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6258

Senate Bill S6258

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Allows for NYSTRS retirees to change their retirement plan beneficiary to a spouse at any time either prior to or after retirement

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions 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
Mar 07, 2025	referred to civil service and pensions

2025-S6258 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A3416
Current Committee:: Senate Civil Service And Pensions
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §539, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S8478
2021-2022: S1754
2023-2024: S1118, S8321, A6117

2025-S6258 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows for NYSTRS retirees to change their retirement plan beneficiary to a spouse at any time either prior to or after retirement.

2025-S6258 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6258

SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to allowing NYSTRS reti-
rees to change their retirement plan beneficiary to a spouse at any time
prior to or after retirement

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this bill is to authorize a member of the New York State
Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS) who has retired for service, or who
has been retired for disability, may designate their spouse as a benefi-
ciary at any time prior to or after effective retirement.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends subdivision 6 of section 539 of the education law to
authorize a member of the NYSTRS who has retired for service, or who has
been retired for disability, may designate their spouse as a beneficiary
at any time prior to or after effective retirement.

Section 2: Sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

According to national census data, in 2020 there were at least 55.8
million Americans over the age of 65, which is the fastest increase of
such population since 1890. Americans are living longer under better
conditions; subsequently, changes to State law are required in order to
ensure the proper statutory reflection of this demographic change.

Currently, a member enrolled in the NYSTRS is not allowed to designate a
spouse as a beneficiary after they retire, and may only file an option
selection change or withdrawal of an option selection previously filed
no later than thirty days following retirement. All situations are
different, however, many retired members of the NYSTRS enter a marriage
or divorce after their retirement. As such, this change should be accom-
panied with the options to allow retirees to appoint their spouse as a
beneficiary, and render a retirement benefit decision, made either years
or a few decades ago, to be altered based on the circumstances.

Retired members of the NYSTRS should have the peace of mind that chang-
ing circumstances will not hinder their ability to choose the retirement
option that works best for them and their spouse. This bill would
authorize a member of the NYSTRS who has retired for service, or who has
been retired for disability, may designate their spouse as a beneficiary
at any time prior to or after effective retirement.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Senate

2019: N/A

2020: S8478, Referred to rules

2021: S1754, Referred to civil service and pension
2022: S1754, Reported and committed to finance

2023: N/A

2024: S8321, Reported and committed to finance

Assembly

2019: No Assembly Same-as

2020: No Assembly Same-as

2021: No Assembly Same-as

2022: No Assembly Same-as

2023: A6117, Referred to governmental employees

2024: A6117, Referred to governmental employees

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S6258 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6258
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 7, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to allowing NYSTRS  reti-
   rees  to  change  their retirement plan beneficiary to a spouse at any
   time prior to or after retirement

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 539 of the education law, as added
 by chapter 695 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows:
   6.  An  option  selection duly filed by the member with the retirement
 system shall become effective upon retirement. Notwithstanding the fore-
 going, a member who has been retired for  service  or  with  a  deferred
 retirement  allowance  may  file  an option selection or change or with-
 drawal of an option selection previously filed no later than thirty days
 following the date on which the member has retired,  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,
 IF  A  MEMBER  IS DESIGNATING THEIR SPOUSE AS A BENEFICIARY, SUCH OPTION
 SELECTION OR CHANGE MAY BE MADE AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO OR AFTER  EFFECTIVE
 RETIREMENT;  a  member  who  has been retired for disability may file an
 option selection or a change or withdrawal of an option selection previ-
 ously filed no later than (i) thirty days following the  date  on  which
 such  member's application for disability retirement was approved by the
 retirement board or (ii) thirty days following the  date  on  which  the
 member  was retired for disability, whichever is later. PROVIDED, HOWEV-
 ER, IF A MEMBER WHO HAS BEEN RETIRED FOR DISABILITY IS DESIGNATING THEIR
 SPOUSE AS A BENEFICIARY, SUCH OPTION SELECTION OR CHANGE MAY BE MADE  AT
 ANY  TIME PRIOR TO OR AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH THE MEMBER WAS RETIRED FOR
 DISABILITY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06766-01-5

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