Asm. Phil Steck

Requires general hospitals to have a registered professional nurse as a sitting and voting member of the governing entity responsible for developing a hospital's strategic plan, structure, systems, policies and programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York's Commissioner of Health to establish regional minimum hourly reimbursement rates for home care providers serving Medicaid patients. It directly affects home care agencies and providers who employ home care aides, mandating rates that cover all necessary costs - including base wages, benefits, payroll taxes, operational expenses, and compliance costs. The rates must be set regionally based on actual service costs, adjusted annually to reflect labor law changes, and published publicly. Providers must justify any contract rates below these minimums, and the comptroller can audit contracts to ensure adequacy. The goal is to ensure reimbursement rates support fair wages and operational needs for home care workers under Medicaid.

Establishes the teachers' fossil fuel divestment act; requires the New York state teachers' retirement system to divest the retirement system of any stocks, securities, equities, assets, or other obligations of corporations or companies included on an exclusion list of coal producers and oil and gas producers.

Enacts the overdose prevention and recovery act; directs that at least twenty percent of funds from the opioid stewardship fund shall be invested in recovery services and supports; requires an annual report to the legislature regarding funds distributed from the opioid stewardship fund; makes the opioid stewardship fund permanent.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new felony crimes for reckless endangerment of emergency service personnel, including firefighters, police officers, and building inspectors. It defines "reckless endangerment in the second degree" as knowingly altering a building without a required permit, violating building or fire codes in a way that impedes exit, and this conduct results in injury to an emergency service person during an emergency evacuation. The crime becomes "first degree" if the same actions lead to the death of an emergency service person or if the offender has a previous conviction for this offense within ten years. These offenses are classified as Class E and Class D felonies, respectively.

Enacts the "dollars for diesels act"; directs the commissioner of environmental conservation, in consultation with the New York state energy research and development authority, to establish and administer a program to provide financial incentives to owners of heavy- and medium-duty diesel-powered vehicles of a model year two thousand ten or older to retire and replace such vehicles with new heavy- or medium-duty diesel-powered vehicles of model year two thousand twenty-four or newer that meet or exceed applicable emission standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill grants New York's Attorney General new authority to investigate and prosecute individuals or businesses selling illegal firearms, ammunition, or rapid-fire modification devices (like bump stocks) without proper authorization from state police. It directly affects individual sellers (non-licensed persons) and retail firearms dealers who sell these items to New York residents or on their behalf without contacting state police first. Key provisions allow the Attorney General to seek criminal charges and court orders (injunctions) to stop such sales. The law aims to strengthen enforcement against unauthorized firearm transactions within New York State.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases fines for violating public health laws. It raises penalties for nursing home and hospital operators from $3,000 to $5,000 per violation, with repeat offenses or violations causing harm now carrying up to $10,000 or $20,000 fines. Excess fines collected beyond $2,000 per violation go to a patient safety center, while nursing home fines over $10,000 fund quality improvement programs for nursing homes. The changes apply directly to healthcare facilities and their operators under New York's public health and social services laws.

Provides that gas, electric, or combination gas and electric corporations shall not be permitted to retain revenues derived from their actual return on equity in excess of authorized rates of return on equity.

Establishes a person is guilty of assault in the second degree when such person intends to cause physical injury to an employee of New York state or any of its political subdivisions or of a public authority or a public benefit corporation while such employee is performing such employee's duties.