Asm. Sarahana Shrestha

Relates to rechargeable battery recycling; adds a battery used as the principal electric power source for an electric scooter or bicycle with electric assist to the definition of "rechargeable battery"; provides that a battery manufacturer may not sell, offer for sale, or distribute rechargeable batteries in the state unless the battery manufacturer is implementing or participating under an approved plan; allows a city with a population of one million or more to enforce through its own agencies.

Enacts the "packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure act" to require companies selling, offering for sale, or distributing packaging materials and products to register with a packaging reduction organization to develop a packaging reduction and recycling plan.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires payment card networks and merchant acquirers to use specific international codes for businesses that sell firearms and ammunition in New York. Starting in May 2025, these financial intermediaries must assign the designated code to licensed gun dealers and ammunition sellers to ensure their transactions are properly classified. The law includes enforcement measures where the Attorney General can issue notices, seek court injunctions, and impose civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation if the required codes are not used. By standardizing how these transactions are categorized, the legislation aims to improve data tracking for firearm and ammunition sales within the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the list of school safety activities eligible for funding under the state's omnibus school violence prevention grant program. It specifically authorizes money to support anti-violence education programs that offer trauma support, counseling, and empowerment activities for students affected by gun violence. To qualify for these funds, the programs must be run by nonprofit organizations, provide evidence-based services, and include clear goals and assessment methods to measure their effectiveness. The legislation also clarifies that any funded program cannot use firearms for training or demonstrations.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the state's lobbying disclosure laws to cover efforts aimed at confirming individuals to state offices. It requires lobbyists to register and publicly report specific details about their activities related to these confirmations, including the names of the offices and the nominees they are trying to influence. By adding this category to existing requirements, the legislation ensures that attempts to shape judicial or executive appointments are made transparent alongside lobbying on legislation and regulations. The changes apply to any person or organization hired to influence the Senate's confirmation process for state positions.

Requires child protective services to orally and in writing disclose certain information to parents and caretakers who are the subject of a child protective services investigation; requires such oral and written disclosure to contain certain information regarding the rights of the person under investigation.

Prohibits the sale of certain products that contain regulated perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances; requires manufacturers of products containing PFAS to provide notice of such fact to persons that offer the products for sale or distribution; provides penalties for violations.

Establishes the homeowner protection program; provides that the department of law shall establish the homeowner protection program to ensure the availability of free housing counseling and legal services to homeowners for the purposes of mitigating threats to homeownership; provides that the department of law shall provide grants to eligible not-for-profit housing counseling organizations and legal services organizations to provide services under the program.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits insurance companies from denying homeowners or renters insurance, canceling existing policies, or charging higher premiums solely because a policyholder owns a specific breed or mix of dogs. The law requires insurers to treat dog ownership as just one factor among many when assessing risk, rather than an automatic reason to restrict coverage or increase costs. If passed, these rules would apply to all insurance policies issued, renewed, or modified after the bill takes effect, ensuring that breed alone cannot be the basis for discrimination in insurance pricing or availability.

Relates to prevailing wage requirements applicable to brownfield remediation work performed under private contract as it relates to certain remediation activities, for sites that are seeking or have received a determination that the site is eligible for the tangible property credit component of the brownfield redevelopment tax credit, and the work is paid for in whole or in part by public funds.