Governor Signs Bill by Senator Hinchey and Assemblyman Cahill Extending Retirement Benefits to Three Ulster County Deputy Sheriffs

ULSTER COUNTY, NY – State Senator Michelle Hinchey (SD-46) and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (AD-103) today announced that Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law their bill (S.4343/A.6725) authorizing Ulster County to offer Deputy Sheriffs Kyle Frano, Joseph Sciutto, and Emmett Vedder III the ability to enroll in a pension plan that allows for retirement after 20 years of service.

Through no fault of their own, these three deputies were unable to make timely applications to participate in the County’s retirement plan, which has barred them from enlisting for over a decade. The legislation, carried by Hinchey and Cahill, rectifies this error and provides Ulster County with the necessary statutory authority to give these deputy sheriffs the right to join the optional twenty-year retirement plan, allowing them the same opportunity to receive pension benefits as afforded to their coworkers.

Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Deputy Sheriffs Kyle Frano, Joseph Sciutto, and Emmett Vedder III have honorably served and protected our Ulster County communities throughout their careers. I was proud to work on their behalf, with the support of my colleagues in state and local government, to rectify a clerical error preventing them from accessing the pension benefits available to them. I thank Governor Hochul for signing our bill into law, which gives us the opportunity to finally right this wrong and provides these hard-working deputies the full pension benefits they deserve.”

Assemblyman Kevin A. Cahill, said, “This legislation corrected an important error that threatened to deprive three hard working deputies of their full pension. Through special state legislation we were able to correct a decades old mistake and, as a result, these law enforcement officers and their families will get their due. A special thanks to Detective Mario Tagliafierro, President of the Ulster County Deputy Sheriff’s Police Benevolent Association for all of his hard work in ushering this through the complicated process. Working together, with Detective Tagliaferro, Sheriff Juan Figueroa, and the Ulster County government, we fixed what was broken.”

Detective Mario Tagliafierro said, "On behalf of Deputy Sheriffs Emmett Vedder III, Joseph Sciutto, and Kyle Frano, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Senator Michelle Hinchey, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, and everyone who has assisted us throughout this process. The relentless effort and determination to help us was inspiring to see and it encouraged us that corrective action would be taken. I thank them for their support and the excellent work done by all to get this important bill signed into law.”

Senator Michelle Hinchey represents the 46th Senate District, which includes Greene and Montgomery Counties and parts of Albany, Schenectady, and Ulster Counties. Senator Hinchey serves as Chair of the Agriculture Committee and sits on the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Energy and Telecommunications, Environmental Conservation, and Local Government Committees.

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