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Friday August 19, 2005
Cancer Bill For Police and EMS Nixed by Pataki
Pension Costs Cited By City Helped Trigger Veto
By Reuven Blau
Governor Pataki last week vetoed a bill that would have created
a presumption that lung disease or certain cancers incurred by city
Police Officers and Emergency Medical Service personnel are job-related.
The Governor cited the Bloomberg administration’s strong
opposition to the measure in rejecting the legislation. The city
lobbied against the bill, contending that it would unnecessarily
increase pension costs by $3.2 million each year.
Lynch: City Hyped Cost
A fiscal note attached to the bill, prepared by former City Actuary
Jonathan Schwartz, asserted it would only cost the city approximately
$400,000 in fiscal year 2005-06.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch
said he was disappointed the Governor rejected the legislation.
“The city drastically overestimated the cost of the program,”
he asserted.
The measure stipulated that any of the city’s 22,000 cops
and 3,000 medical technicians and supervisors who incur specific
diseases and cancers would be eligible for a tax-free disability
pension equal to 75 percent of their salary.
Firefighters already benefit from a similar lung and cancer presumption
bill, which was signed into law on April 26, 1993.
The PBA and Uniformed Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics
Local 2507 and District Council 37 argued that their members should
also be included because they are regularly exposed to hazardous
fumes and materials that have been scientifically proven to cause
certain cancers.
“They do different jobs, but the types of exposure are very
similar,” remarked Robert Ungar, legislative counsel for Local
2507.
He pointed out that EMT’s are often called to the scene of
fires and are exposed to the surrounding fumes and airborne contaminants.
Cancers Covered
The types of cancer that would be covered by the bill are: melanoma,
and any condition of cancer affecting the lymphatic, digestive,
hematological, urinary, neurological, breast, reproductive or prostate
systems.
In a letter to the Governor, Mayor Bloomberg said that the city
opposed the presumption measure since there is “no valid medical
or scientific basis” for believing that Police Officers sustain
higher incidences of lung disease or cancer than the general population.
The Mayor also noted that additional unfunded pension bills strain
the city’s budget. “Last year alone, an increase in
the city’s pension contributions amounted to 47 percent over
the prior year’s contribution,” he stated.
If enacted, the city argued, other non-uniformed unions would attempt
to seek a similar benefit. “This legislation could create
a huge spillover effect to other city employees and retirement systems,”
the memo said.
The police and EMT unions said they will re-design the bill to
gain the Governor’s approval.
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