The PBA has no fewer than 81 pieces of legislation pending in Albany — and each one has been designed to improve your and your family’s lives while you're on the job or in your retirement. They range from tuition waivers for members of the service to mandatory testing of perps for AIDS and HIV. (The latter, Senate bill 4100, “provides for the testing of law enforcement, fire and emergency medical personnel, alleged assailants, and crime victims for serious transmissible diseases.”)

To get a clear idea of the current legislative picture, you must keep in mind that each piece of legislation is at a different stage of the process. Some bills have just been introduced, while others have been passed by one house of the Legislature and are waiting for action in the other house, and still others have been passed by both houses and are waiting for action by the governor.

Given the hard fiscal times facing both the state and city, it’s pretty clear that we have a much better chance of passing legislation that does not entail significant out-of-pocket cost for their treasuries. For that reason, during the upcoming legislative session the PBA will be concentrating its efforts and influence on laws that will benefit our members but don't carry a big price tag.

For example, Senate bill 4258 would allow retired police officers to teach while collecting their city pension. Since there’s a need for qualified teachers and the measure wouldn’t cost the city or state a dime, we can sell this as a win-win for everybody and will push this piece of legislation this session.

Our other priorities this year:

Free bridge and tunnel tolls: would require MTA Bridges and Tunnels (formerly the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority) to allow police officers to use the agency’s bridges and tunnels at no charge. While this one has a cost assigned to it, it’s not an out-of-pocket cost but rather a reduction in revenue generated by the MTA B&T. We'll be pushing hard for this one and think we have a shot at passing it this session.

Car Insurance: would provide that on-duty accidents not appear on officers’ personal driving abstracts so that it will not affect his or her personal insurance bill. This bill passed the State Senate in February and has been referred to the Assembly transportation committee.

Privileged communications: would create privileged communication received by police union officials. When this bill is enacted, official business discussed between you and your union rep will be protected in much the same way lawyer-client discussions are protected. This is another no-cost item that the PBA will be pressing hard for passage.

Disability presumption: would provide protection for police officers exposed to toxic materials as a result of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the rescue/recovery work. This important piece of legislation has passed the Senate and the Assembly, and the PBA is strongly lobbying the governor for his signature.

Tuition assistance program: would allow two tuition-free courses at a State University. This bill is currently being considered by the higher-education committees of each house.

Police cadet pension credit: would provide retirement credit for cadet corps service. It has been referred for consideration by committees in each house.

Many more important pieces of legislation are pending in Albany, all of which can improve your life. Look for more information about these and other bills in the next issue of The PBA Magazine.