Bill to Cover Injured State Police Nixed by Paterson; Goes Beyond Workers' Comp

Governor Paterson has vetoed a bill that would have paid the salary and medical and hospital expenses of State Police members who were injured or became ill while on active duty.

DANIEL De FEDERICIS: A matter of equal treatment.

"While we are disappointed this important bill was vetoed, we will continue to pursue these essential benefits for our members through further legislation, contract negotiations, as well as other avenues," said State Trooper Police Benevolent Association President Daniel M. De Federicis. "The passage of this legislation would have ensured that sworn members of the New York State Police have the same benefits already given to their municipal counterparts." NYPD officers are among those groups that enjoy unlimited sick leave.

Cites 'Inconsistency in Law'

State Senator Joseph E. Robach of Rochester sponsored the bill. "Due to an inconsistency in the laws of New York, a Police Officer who is a member of the New York State Police could become injured or ill in the line of duty, exhaust his entire allotment of workman's compensation, and if not able to either return to full and strenuous duty or qualify for a disability retirement, be terminated," Sen. Robach wrote in support of the legislation.

GOVERNOR PATERSON: Cost could be prohibitive.

The Governor cited the bleak economic forecast in New York as reason for vetoing the legislation. "As the Chief Executive of a state in the midst of an enormous fiscal crisis, however, I cannot ignore the significant costs that this legislation would impose," he wrote.

Conversely, Mr. De Federicis saw financial benefit for the state in the bill. "If a Trooper is injured in the line of duty now, he or she would be forced to remain out of work until cleared by a doctor, which would be an indeterminate length of time," he said. "In the interim, State Police supervisors would have to fill that Trooper's position by bringing other Troopers in to work in an overtime capacity." The bill would allow injured Troopers to be placed on desk duty, requiring less paid overtime for the department, the union said.

Points to Ballooning Costs

The Governor cited a provision that would allow for unlimited sick leave that could last for decades as a reason to veto the bill. "Officers who receive this benefit would have a significant financial incentive to delay retirement, at which point their compensation would diminish," Mr. Paterson wrote in his veto message. The bill would cause the State Police to hire additional personnel to make up for the increase in light-duty officers while also paying the Troopers' full medical expenses, Mr. Paterson said.

"The State owes a great deal to the members of its police force who are injured in the line of duty," Mr. Paterson said. "In sum, as much as I admire the fine work of the State Police, given the State's extraordinary financial difficulties I simply cannot allow the extensive and costly expansion of benefits provided for in this legislation."

Mr. De Federicis said he would continue to fight for the legislation, which was also vetoed in 2004 and 2005 by then-Gov. George E. Pataki. "When a State Police member is injured in the line of duty, his or her family also suffers because of the loss of income and the ever-rising costs of health care," he said. "No day is ever routine for a State Police member, and the potential of becoming injured or ill in the line of duty is extremely high."