Asm. Scott Bendett

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new licensing system for two types of vision impairment specialists: orientation and mobility specialists (who teach safe movement techniques) and vision rehabilitation therapists (who provide training for independent living). It requires these professionals to obtain state licenses to use their titles and defines their specific scope of practice, including assessments, training, and use of adaptive devices. The bill also creates a State Board for Vision Impairment Specialists to oversee licensing, composed of licensed practitioners, medical professionals, and blind community representatives. This directly affects individuals seeking to work in these specialized fields and ensures they meet defined standards before practicing.

Enacts the "New York city Caribbean steel pan educational music program act"; requires community school boards in the city of New York to authorize, where reasonable, the use of school grounds in the summer months for use by any steel pan music organization to practice for the Labor Day Parade (West Indian Carnival).

Prohibits an employer from terminating an employee who is also a volunteer firefighter or an enrolled member of a volunteer ambulance service when such employee misses or is late to work because of an emergency to which the employee was dispatched.

Maddy summaryThis bill caps the maximum interest rate for personal credit cards issued or used in New York State at 10% per year. It directly affects New York residents who use credit cards for personal, family, or household expenses, making any rate above 10% invalid. The law amends banking law to set this 10% limit and prohibits using credit cards with higher rates, allowing the attorney general to seek court action against violations. The bill takes effect immediately but expires and reverts to previous law after five years.

Directs the New York state energy research and development authority to establish a ride clean rebate program for electric assist bicycles and electric scooters; defines terms; provides a fifty percent rebate for eligible purchases.

Enacts Paige's law to provide education and awareness regarding brain arteriovenous malformation and brain aneurysms, as well as information on being a potential carrier of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, thoracic aortic aneurysms, Marfan syndrome and related disorders and genetic testing for such conditions and disorders.

Provides for the employment of school nurses for the inspection of pupils attending certain public schools; relates to school districts and boards of cooperative educational services.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New York's paid family leave program to include bereavement leave for employees experiencing fetal death, stillbirth, or an infant declared medically not viable to survive. It amends workers' compensation law to explicitly add these scenarios to the definition of "family leave" under Section 201. Employees would need to provide medical documentation (such as a fetal death certificate or physician's declaration) to qualify for this leave. The policy applies to all new or renewed insurance policies starting January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases tax credits for installing geothermal energy systems. It raises the maximum credit to $10,000 for systems placed in service on or after July 1, 2025 (up from $5,000 before June 2025). It also adds refundability for qualifying low-income taxpayers or those in disadvantaged communities, allowing excess credits to be refunded instead of carried forward starting in 2026. The policy directly affects homeowners and businesses installing geothermal systems, providing greater financial incentives for adoption.

Establishes a tax deduction for a taxpayer who is a beneficiary of a deferred compensation plan and who elects to make a distribution of such deferred compensation in order to pay for qualified health insurance premiums, in an amount equal to six thousand dollars.