§ 159. Group insurance or mass merchandising policies or
programs. 1. The president, subject to the approval of the director of
employee relations and the director of the budget, is hereby empowered
to establish regulations relating to, and to enter into and administer
contracts or agreements providing for group insurance or mass
merchandising policies or programs for state employees in the executive
branch precluded from collective bargaining by subdivision five or
subdivision seven of section two hundred one of this chapter.

2. Any such policy or program shall be subject to the following
provisions:

a. The benefits provided thereby shall be available to all state
officers and employees in the executive branch whose positions are
designated managerial or confidential pursuant to article fourteen of
this chapter and all state officers and employees excluded from
representation rights under this chapter pursuant to rules and
regulations of the public employment relations board, subject to
reasonable underwriting restrictions of the selected insurers;

b. The benefits provided thereby may be made available to state
officers and employees in the division of military and naval affairs in
the executive department; and

c. Unless any group insurance or mass merchandising policy or program
offered pursuant to this section is funded by payroll deductions in
accordance with subdivision three of section two hundred one of the
state finance law, such policy or program shall be funded by specific
appropriation of monies of the state, provided, however, both payroll
deductions and state appropriations may be utilized to fund any such
policy or program.

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law, no
state monies shall be available for group insurance or mass
merchandising policies or programs established by the president until a
certificate of allocation and a schedule of amounts to be available
therefor shall have been issued by the director of the budget, and a
copy of such certificate filed with the comptroller, the chairman of the
assembly ways and means committee and the chairman of the senate finance
committee.

4. Monies appropriated and allocated for the purposes set forth
herein, shall be paid out on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on
vouchers certified or approved by the president.