Ensures Medicaid spending results in real access to medical care by increasing transparency in Medicaid managed care network adequacy reviews and safeguarding continuity of care in light of recent major provider network withdrawals.
Asm. Scott Bendett
Sponsored bills
Requires nonresident visitor sex offenders and registered sex offenders register when temporarily residing within the state; requires short-term rental hosts and short-term rental hosting platforms inform nearby property owners when nonresident visitor sex offenders and registered sex offenders are staying in the unit.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "First Responder Peer Support Program Act" to create a statewide grant program for peer-to-peer mental health support services. It directly affects first responders - including firefighters, police officers, EMTs, 911 operators, and correctional officers - by providing funding for local programs offering trauma-informed training and mental health resources. Key provisions include requiring standardized training on trauma, suicide prevention, and resilience; mandating strict confidentiality for participants; and prohibiting disclosure of personal information to employers. Grants are allocated to eligible local entities, with annual reports tracking program use without identifying individuals.
Establishes a digital legal mail program for the delivery of privileged correspondences to incarcerated individuals housed at correctional facilities; requires law offices sending legal mail via digital platforms to incarcerated individuals to register with the department of corrections.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates an optional 20-year retirement plan for New York state correction officers (including employees directly performing correction officer duties). Eligible members can choose this plan within one year of the law's effective date, allowing retirement after 20 years of service or at age 62. Upon retirement, they receive a pension equal to 1/40th of their final average salary per year of service (capped at 50% total), with additional benefits beyond 20 years capped at 75% of final average salary. The state covers the extra costs through additional contributions.
Maddy summaryThis bill (A 1358) adds a religious exemption to school vaccination requirements in New York State. It allows children whose parents hold "genuine and sincere religious beliefs" opposing vaccinations to attend school without providing immunization certificates. The bill modifies public health law to remove the certificate requirement for these children and requires health providers to report immunization status for exempt students. It directly affects families seeking religious exemptions for school enrollment, while maintaining existing school notification procedures for non-exempt children. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York school districts to purchase or lease only zero-emission school buses (electric or hydrogen-powered with no tailpipe emissions) when buying new vehicles by July 2027. It also mandates that all components and final assembly of these buses and their charging infrastructure must be made in the U.S. unless a waiver is granted for cost or feasibility reasons. Districts facing financial hardship may receive up to two years to comply after a cost-benefit analysis, and the law includes protections preventing workforce displacement for transportation employees during the transition. The full transition to zero-emission school buses must be completed by July 2047, or when all state vehicle fleets meet this standard, whichever comes later.
Maddy summaryThis bill (A 9571) increases family leave benefits under New York's workers' compensation law, directly affecting eligible employees taking leave for medical care, bonding with a newborn, or military family exigencies. It gradually raises weekly benefit percentages (from 50% to 67% of average weekly wage) and extends maximum leave duration (from 8 to 12 weeks) over time, with specific phased-in dates starting in 2018. Covered employers must provide these enhanced benefits while maintaining health insurance coverage during leave. The changes apply to employees meeting eligibility criteria under the law, with the Superintendent of Financial Services retaining limited authority to delay increases.
Establishes the veterans' services organization capital support program to provide funding to eligible entities for payment of the capital costs of construction, improvement, repairs, rehabilitation, or reconstruction of facilities owned by eligible entities, and for the acquisition of related equipment with a useful life of not less than ten years; appropriates a sum of $10,000,000 therefor.
Maddy summaryThis bill provides a full exemption from real property taxes, special district charges, and assessments for the primary residences of certain disabled veterans. To qualify, a veteran must have been discharged under honorable conditions, possess a qualifying disability or be a discharged LGBT veteran, and be rated as permanently and totally disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The exemption also applies to land used for housing units modified to accommodate the veteran's disability needs, provided the veteran meets all other statutory requirements. This change directly affects eligible veterans by removing their home's tax liability while leaving other existing veteran exemptions intact.