Rules for Classified Civil Service

Rule XXIII. Administrative Regulations

The commission shall prescribe and enforce suitable regulations for carrying into effect the provisions of these rules and those of the Civil Service Law and of section 9 of article V of the constitution, not inconsistent therewith; and shall prescribe blank forms for all applications, certificates, reports, records and returns required under these rules and the regulations made in pursuance thereof.

Rule XXIV. Extension of Rules

These rules shall not be deemed to extend to the offices, places and employments in the civil divisions of the state, until after due inquiry by the commission it shall be found practicable, of which finding proper and timely notice shall be given.

In pursuance of the foregoing provision these rules have been extended to the offices, places and employments in the civil service of the counties of Erie, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond, to take effect from and after June 16, 1900; to the offices, places and employments in the civil service of the counties of Albany, Monroe, Onondaga and Westchester, to take effect from and after November 1, 1905; to the offices, places and employments in the civil service of the counties of Chautauqua, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Orange, Rensselaer, Suffolk and Ulster, to take effect August 1, 1909; to the offices, places and employments in the civil service of Bronx county, to take effect January 1, 1914.

In pursuance of the foregoing provision these rules have been further extended to the following offices in all counties, to take effect on January 1, 1909: County superintendent, as established by the Highway Law, chapter 330, Laws of 1908; county engineer; county superintendent of highways.

In pursuance of the foregoing provisions these rules have been further extended to the offices, places and employments, in the civil service of the villages of Ossining, Peekskill, Port Chester, to take effect from and after March 31, 1910.

In pursuance of the foregoing provision these rules have been further extended to the office of county sealer in all counties, as established by chapter 187 of the Laws of 1910, to take effect May 6, 1910.

In pursuance of the foregoing provision these rules have been extended to the offices, places and employments under the commissioners of the home of the city and town of Newburgh, to take effect from and after April 1, 1913. In pursuance of the foregoing provision these rules have been further extended to the office of probation officer in all counties, to take effect from and after May 1, 1913.

In pursuance of the foregoing provision these rules have been further extended to the offices, places and employments in all county tuberculosis hospitals established pursuant to chapter 11 of the Consolidated Laws, to take effect from and after May 1, 1913.

In pursuance of the foregoing provision these rules have been further extended to the offices, places and employments in the office of the commissioner of jurors of the county of the Bronx, as established by chapter 548, Laws of 1912, as amended by chapter 266, Laws of 1913. (Approved July 24, 1913.)

In pursuance of the foregoing provisions these rules have been extended to the offices, places and employments in the police departments of the villages and towns of Westchester county. (Approved June 10, 1913.)

General Regulations

GENERAL REGULATIONS

Adopting Order

The State Civil Service Commission, under the authority conferred by, section 10 of the Civil Service Law and rule XXIII of the rules prescribed pursuant thereto, hereby makes the following regulations, reserving the right to modify the same from time to time, and to prescribe such special regulations as may be expedient for the proper enforcement of the rules aforesaid.

Regulation A. The President

The president, subject to the direction of the commission, shall have such general authority and responsibility in the administration of the law, rules and regulations as shall not be inconsistent with the powers reserved to the commission or vested in some other officer.

Regulation I. Secretary

The secretary shall, subject to the direction of the commission:

1. Keep the minutes to the proceedings of the commission and have charge of the books, records, papers, official seal and other property in its office. 2. Advertise and issue authority to hold all examinations and grant authority to candidates to enter examinations. Notify candidates of the results of their examinations and enter the names of successful competitors upon the proper register of eligibles.

3. Make certification to appointing officers, upon their requisition, of those eligible to appointment or employment.

4. Keep the official roster and have charge of the certification of payrolls and estimates.

5. Observe that the rules and regulations are complied with, and bring any case of their infraction to the attention of the commission.

6. Receive all communications, conduct the correspondence of the commission, and perform such other appropriate duties as it may assign him.

Regulation II. Chief Examiner

The chief examiner, subject to the direction of the commission, shall have charge of all matters pertaining to examinations, and in connection therewith he shall:

1. Prepare blank forms for application for examination.

2. Prepare, after consultation with the appointing officers concerned, schemes of examinations, including age limits and other preliminary requirements for candidates.

3. Receive applications for examination and determine all questions relating to eligibility of candidates.

4. Supervise the preparation of questions and other preliminary arrangements for examinations and, so far as practicable, attend them.

5. Direct the work of examiners and take care to secure accuracy, uniformity and justice in their proceedings. Whenever the qualifications for a position are of professional, scientific, technical or expert character, the chief examiner may obtain such advice and assistance from competent sources as may be expedient. In case a vacancy occurs in any position of examiner during a recess of the commission, the chief examiner may, when necessary, select a person to fill such vacancy temporarily, pending a permanent selection by the commission.

General Regulations

6. Approve all bills for traveling expenses incurred by employees of the examinations division, and approve all bills for supplies or other expenses charged against the appropriations for the examinations division.

Regulation III. Examiners

1. The examiners of the commission are classified as salaried examiners, special and expert examiners, local examiners, institution boards of examiners. 2. The salaried examiners shall devote their whole time to the work of the commission under the direction of the chief examiner.

3. Special and expert examiners shall be designated and employed by the commission from time to time as the work is required to prepare questions and rate candidates in competitive examinations. Such examiners shall be paid such compensation as shall be agreed upon and shall be subject to the general direction of the chief examiner.

4. Local examiners shall, so far as practicable, be men, and shall be appointed in the various cities in which competitive examinations are required to be held. The chief examiner shall designate the examiner or

examiners to hold each examination.

be employed shall not exceed :

For 1 to 10 competitors, one examiner.

The number of local examiners to

From 11 to 50 competitors, two examiners.

From 51 to 100 competitors, three examiners.

For more than 100 competitors, four or more examiners.

The compensation of local examiners shall be:

In New York city, for examiner in charge, $7.50 per day; assistants, $5 per day. In Buffalo and Rochester, for examiner in charge, $5 per day; assistants, $3.50 per day.

In second class cities, for examiner in charge, $5 per day; assistants, $3 per day.

In other places, for examiner in charge, $5 per day; assistants, $2.50 per day.

The local examiners in any place where more than one is required shall not all be adherents of one political party when other persons are available and competent to serve.

Local examiners shall not incur expenses in connection with examinations beyond necessary stationery and supplies except at the direction of the commission or the chief examiner.

5. Boards of examiners shall be established in the several state hospitals and institutions to conduct the examination of persons nominated for positions in the non-competitive class by the proper appointing officer. Such boards shall consist of three or more members, one of whom shall act as secretary and two or more of whom may conduct an examination in the absence of the others. The secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the board and of the examinations held by it, and shall report to the commission the names of persons examined and the results of their examinations. The application and examination papers of candidates shall be forwarded to the commission with the report.

6. Examiners shall take care to secure uniformity and fairness in the conduct of examinations. They must not disclose the details of answers of candidates. No examiner or other person serving under the commission shall attempt to influence the marking or grading of any candidate, or the selection, nomination, appointment or employment of any person in the civil service.

Regulation IV. Application

1. All applications for admission to examination shall be made upon the blank forms prescribed and furnished by the commission, and no one will be admitted who has not made such application in satisfactory form.

General Regulations

2. In every application for examination for original appointment in the competitive class, the applicant must state on oath and in his own handwriting: (1) the position or kind of examination desired; (2) his full name, residence and postoffice address; (3) his term of residence in this state; (4) his citizenship, and if naturalized, the date and place of his naturalization; (5) the date and place of his birth; (6) his previous employment in the civil service, if any; (7) his business or employment for the last preceding five years; (8) his education; (9) if in the army or navy of the United States in the late civil war and honorably discharged therefrom, the name of organization or vessel to which attached, date of enlistment or commission, position or rank, and date and cause of discharge from the service; (10) such other information as the commission may require touching his eligibility and fitness for the public service.

3. The application must be accompanied (1) by the certificates of not less than three nor more than five reputable citizens that they have been personally acquainted with the applicant for at least one year and believe him to be of good moral character, of temperate and industrious habits and in all respects fit for the service he wishes to enter, and that they are willing that such certificate shall be published for public information, and (2) if the applicant is an honorably discharged soldier or sailor of the late civil war, by the adjutant-general's certificate of his honorable discharge or other satisfactory evidence of the same.

4. In addition to the information above mentioned applicants for positions requiring special qualifications shall furnish the evidences, certificates and licenses required under the provisions of section 5 of rule IX.

No person shall be examined who has any of the following defects: Insanity, tuberculosis, paralysis, epilepsy, blindness, total deafness, loss of speech, loss of both arms or both legs, loss of arm and leg, badly crippled or deformed arms, feet or legs, heart disease, locomotor ataxia, cancer, Bright's disease, syphilis, diabetes.

5. The limits of age at the time of application for the following named positions are as follows: Stenographer, telegrapher, stenographer and telegrapher, typewriter copyist, messenger, chainman, tracer, library assistant, druggist and assistant clerk at the Monroe county hospital, minimum, eighteen years; page, minimum, fourteen years and maximum, eighteen years; junior clerk, minimum, sixteen years; prison and reformatory guard, minimum, twenty-five years; junior bridge draftsman, rodman, minimum, twenty years. For all other positions the minimum age limit is twenty-one years, with no maximum limit. Candidates for prison or reformatory guard must be at least five feet, nine inches in height.

6. Defective applications will be suspended and applicants notified to amend the same, but no such notice will be given or opportunity granted a second time.

7. Applications shall be filed at least seven days before the date of examination to entitle the applicant to enter the same. The commission or its chief examiner may, however, waive this requirement when practicable.

8. The date of the reception of all applications shall be indorsed thereon, and entered of record by the commission, and if the applicants for any position are in excess of a number that can be examined at a single examination, they will be notified to appear in their order on the respective records, provided that veterans shall have precedence in such notification.

9. Applications and accompanying certificates, not returned for correction, will remain on file in the office of the commission, and under no circumstances will be returned to the applicant.

10. Candidates for examinations for positions in the non-competitive class shall file applications on blank forms prescribed by the commission containing such information as the commission shall deem necessary in regard to their eligibility and fitness for the positions applied for. Such applications

General Regulations

may be presented at the time of examination and shall be forwarded to the commission by the examiners together with the examination papers.

11. No letters of recommendation or indorsements, other than those required by the rules and regulations, shall be received and filed by the commission, on behalf of any applicant or eligible, unless called for in announcement of examination.

Regulation V. Examinations

1. Competitive examinations will be held from time to time for such positions as shall be specially requested by appointing officers and for those for which in the opinion of the commission, the number of applicants or lack of eligibles renders an examination desirable. The preliminary requirements, subjects of examinations and relative weights for positions in the competitive class shall be published from time to time. The place and date of an examination for any position, when determined, and any other material information in regard thereto, will be posted in the office of the commission in the capitol at Albany, at least ten days before the date of such examination.

Announcements of all examinations of a public and general interest shall be published, so far as practicable, in every county of the state at least ten days before the date of the examination in one or more prominent newspapers of the county; examinations of a professional and technical nature shall be announced, so far as practicable, in suitable periodicals published in this state.

2. Notice of competitive examination will be mailed previous to the date thereof to each applicant entitled to enter the same. If an applicant fails to receive due notice of an examination, or gives satisfactory reasons for failure to attend an examination, he shall be notified to attend the next examination for the same subdivision and group, provided such examination occurs within one year from the date of filing the original application.

Notice of the time and place of examination, subjects of examination and relative weights thereof if any assigned, shall be mailed to each person nominated for any position in the non-competitive class, at least one week in advance of the date set for the examination, except for positions in state institutions for which examination is to be conducted by a local board of examiners.

3. Applicants must present themselves promptly at the hour and place specified in their official notification signed by the secretary of the commission, and no one will be admitted to an examination except upon the production of such notification.

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4. In order to properly identify competitors, each person presenting himself for examination shall fill out a Declaration Sheet on which he shall state the essential facts contained in his application paper. Each declaration sheet shall bear a different number which shall be used to designate the examination papers of the competitor. The name of the competitor shall not appear on his examination papers except on the declaration sheet.

5. For the further identification of appointees and for the prevention of impersonation in examinations, every person appointed after a competitive examination shall be required to fill out an identification sheet to be called "Declaration of Appointee." Said declaration shall require a reiteration of the essential facts of the application and declaration sheet and the statement of such other facts as the chief examiner shall require, and shall be filled out by the appointee in the presence of the appointing officer or his representative who shall attach his certificate of such fact. Such declaration shall be forwarded with the notice of appointment to the state civil service commission and shall be filed with the examination papers of the appointee.

6. The relative weights given to the several subjects or qualifications in an