This bill prohibits school bus drivers from using hands-free mobile telephones while operating a bus carrying students. It directly affects school bus drivers during student transport, with exceptions only for emergencies (like contacting emergency services) or when the bus is parked safely off the road. The law explicitly bans phone use during operation with students on board, except for emergency communications or specific official duties. The bill aims to reduce distractions for drivers transporting children, aligning with broader traffic safety goals.
Provides for insurance coverage of comprehensive annual medical examinations for firefighters due to their increased risk for cancer and cancer-related diseases.
Provides a performance of duty presumption for diseases of the heart for members who serve as an ambulance medical technician, ambulance medical coordinator, ambulance medical technician/supervisor or a member who performs ambulance medical technician related services, or a police medic, police medic coordinator, police medic supervisor, bureau director police emergency ambulance services - county, assistant bureau director police emergency ambulance services - county, or a member who performs police medic or police emergency ambulance related services and is employed in the Nassau county police department.
Prohibits falsely impersonating an employee organization or an employee representative with the intent to deceive the recipient and thereby cause harm to such recipient or employee organization by the use of fraud, misrepresentation, material omission, or other deception in making and disseminating a verbal, written or electronic communication; provides that the attorney general may bring an action or proceeding to enjoin such unlawful acts or practices.
Grants Nassau county fire marshals, supervising fire marshals, fire marshals, assistant fire marshals, assistant chief fire marshals or chief fire marshals pension benefits for service rendered beyond twenty-five years.
Establishes an optional twenty-five year retirement plan for employees of the New York Power Authority with the job title of mechanic, technician, electrician, equipment operator, power plant operator, utility security officer, or lineperson.
Clarifies that the statutory damages available for certain wage violations are not punitive in nature and are designed to be liquidated damages rather than penalties or to compensate workers for the employer's failure to prevent wage theft and for the harm to employees that results from such failure.
Provides that public officers and employees of the state who are members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol or the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots shall be granted leave from work with pay to participate in emergency services during certain air force assigned missions.
Requires the department of labor create and maintain a list of available careers and job openings for veterans in the state of New York and provide such list to the department of veterans' services; requires such list to be placed on the department of veterans' services website.
Provides that certain purchase contracts to purchase food can be awarded to a qualified bidder who fulfills certain values based procurement standards when such bid is not more than 10% higher than the lowest responsible bidder and when the bidder makes publicly available data on where such bidder sources their food items; sets forth the criteria for values based procurement standards to include local economies, environmental resilience, racial equity, valued workforce, valued agricultural sector, animal welfare, and nutrition.
