"I’ve championed legislation to protect the families of officers in the event of an untimely death. Many men and women from the North Country have been working for the state's Department of Corrections and Community Supervision from a relatively young age and want to work beyond their earliest retirement date," she said.
Current law prevents beneficiaries from receiving a corrections officer's pension if they die on the job after they’re eligible for retirement, which occurs after 25 years of service.
"My legislation has strong bipartisan support. But the governor vetoed the measure last year, so I passed it again and will keep fighting for what is right, supporting our officers and their families," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Jenne in the Assembly and by Senator Patty Ritchie in the state Senate, would allow the family of a deceased corrections officer, who was eligible to retire but chose to continue his or her work, to receive a lump sum benefit equal to the pension the officer would have received if they did retire or the value of the death benefit and increased take-home pay, whichever is greater.
"We've seen considerable turnover at our North Country prisons in recent years. We know it is important to have veteran officers in our jails to help train less experienced officers, and the state should be encouraging those experienced employees to stay on the job, not pushing them out the door and imposing regulations that could endanger their families' financial security," she added.
A Jefferson County grand jury recently indicted Bernard Szurant, 26, for second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree strangulation, tampering with physical evidence and four counts of second-degree assault.
He was an inmate at the Cape Vincent Correctional Facility on June 18 when he allegedly repeatedly struck and kicked a fellow inmate, Mark McCray, 61. Mr. McCray died as a result of the injuries he suffered during the attack. Two corrections officers were injured during a struggle with Mr. Szurant that same day.
"This incident underscores the dangerous conditions our corrections officers deal with each and every day. It’s time for Gov. Cuomo to sign this important piece of legislation," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"I was very disappointed by last year’s veto of this long-sought legislation aimed at protecting corrections officers, their families and the community as a whole,” she said.
"The Governor needs to take a fresh look at this legislation, recognize its merit and sign the bill," she added.
