Asm. Didi Barrett

Maddy summaryThis bill asks Governor Kathy Hochul to officially declare May 4, 2026, as Volunteer Firefighters' Appreciation Day in New York. The resolution honors the roughly 80,000 volunteer firefighters in the state who serve in small and rural communities and respond to various emergencies. It does not create new laws or change policies; instead, it serves as a formal recognition of the volunteers' service and sacrifice. The bill directs the Legislature to send the proclamation to the Governor for her signature.

Requires the public service commission to post a written summary of the actions taken by the commission or department upon approval of a major change in rates to promote ratepayer affordability and minimizing residential energy burden.

Provides additional protections for sensitive health information; requires all health information networks, electronic health record systems, and health care providers to provide patients with a right to restrict the disclosures of such patient's health information; defines terms; provides for exceptions.

Requires public notice and public engagement when a general hospital seeks to close entirely or a unit that provides maternity, mental health or substance use care.

Prohibits public employers from diminishing health insurance benefits provided to Medicare-eligible retirees and their Medicare-eligible dependents or the contributions such employer makes for such health insurance coverage below the level of such benefits or contributions made on behalf of such retirees and dependents by the public employer as of December 31, 2021.

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; makes related provisions.

Establishes a standardized statewide system for collecting, recording, and monitoring winter road maintenance operational data in order to improve efficiency, enhance transparency, and support the protection of water resources in the state of New York; requires calibration of all deicing material application equipment used for winter highway maintenance on public roads.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New York's climate law to set a new target of six gigawatts of statewide energy storage capacity by 2030. It requires the state's electricity providers (load-serving entities) to procure this storage capacity through programs established by the Public Service Commission by July 2024. The change modifies existing requirements in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), specifically raising the energy storage goal from a previously stated "three" gigawatts to six gigawatts. This policy directly affects utility companies and renewable energy developers responsible for meeting the state's clean energy targets.

Requires Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care regardless of federal funding; prohibits discriminatory practices by health care entities including hospitals, certain professionals, and insurers; requires insurance coverage for services or treatments for gender dysphoria or gender incongruence.

Requires manufactured home park owners to provide a written justification for rent increases in excess of three percent of the current rent; provides that increases in costs to justify such rent increase for ordinary maintenance or repair to meet the warranty of habitability obligations must be shown to be necessary.