Asm. Brian Maher

Maddy summaryBella's Law requires New York's Office of Children and Family Services to investigate potential domestic violence when an individual is accused of or under investigation for animal abuse. Law enforcement must notify the Office of Children and Family Services about such cases, and the Office must determine if the animal abuse is linked to domestic violence or family abuse. The law applies to all animal abuse crimes listed in the bill, including offenses like animal fighting, torture, abandonment, and harming service animals. This policy change mandates coordination between law enforcement and child/family services to address the established connection between animal cruelty and domestic violence.

Requires school districts and board of cooperative educational services to pay physical therapists and occupational therapists in alignment with the department's career ladder pathway framework; makes related provisions.

Establishes minimum compensation standards for the reimbursement of home health agencies and persons employed thereof; directs the commissioner of health, in consultation with the commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities to develop methodologies to determine such minimum compensation standard.

Establishes the NY food insecurity, farm resiliency and rural poverty initiative to provide financial assistance in the form of matching grants, hiring assistance, purchasing assistance, tax credits, tax exemptions, and reimbursements.

Allows for reimbursement of transportation costs for emergency care without prior authorization by the social services official including emergency medical transportation by an ambulance service certified under article 30 of the public health law; authorizes the commissioner of health to establish a reimbursement methodology to ensure providers are reimbursed.

Establishes a committee to conduct a survey of instruction on the history and civic impact of the September eleventh, two thousand one terrorist attacks and issue a report on such survey.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the "Affordable NY Act," increases property tax relief for homeowners and adjusts New York's personal income tax rates. It directly affects homeowners who qualify for the STAR (School Tax Relief) program by doubling the base exemption amount for enhanced STAR from $30,000 to $60,000 (effective 2025-2026) and linking future increases to the Consumer Price Index. For income taxes, it revises tax brackets, lowering rates for middle-income earners (e.g., reducing the top rate for income over $161,550 from 6.57% to 6.49% in 2019). The changes take effect immediately for some provisions and for others starting in 2025. These adjustments aim to reduce tax burdens for qualifying homeowners and middle-income taxpayers.

Requires social media platforms to remove content depicting the violent death of a human being within twenty-fours after receiving notice or otherwise becoming aware of such content; requires social media platforms to provide an easily accessible and usable mechanism for users to report such content.

Improves the transportation of children with special needs to and from school; provides that bussing time shall not exceed one and one-half hours; provides a special needs liaison to work with each family with a child with special needs; makes related provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow licensed bars and restaurants to run grid-based sports betting games ("sports squares pools") for their customers. Organizers must pay all wagered money directly to winners with no profit allowed - funds cannot be retained or used for business purposes. The pools work by having customers select grid cells based on predicted game scores, with winners determined by the actual final score. It applies only to establishments already licensed to serve alcohol on-premises under New York law.