Asm. Mary Beth Walsh

Establishes the New York state rural mobile communications fund to provide grants for the purpose of increasing cellular service in low- to no-coverage areas.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a New York state tax credit for small businesses hiring disabled workers. Small businesses with 100 or fewer employees can claim a $5,000 credit per disabled employee (up to $25,000 per business annually), provided the employee works 35+ hours weekly for six months and the employer verifies the employee meets the statutory disability definition. The credit is capped at $5 million total per year, with unused credits carried forward for up to three years. It directly affects small business employers in New York who hire eligible disabled residents, aiming to incentivize their employment through tax relief.

Establishes the nutrient inactivant application permit to allow for the use of products used for controlling phosphorus levels in lakes or ponds to prevent and inhibit harmful algal blooms.

Requires residents of the state, who are foreign refugees, to register with the office of temporary and disability assistance; directs such office to provide registration information to the office of children and family services, the department of health, the office for new Americans, the department of law, the division of state police, the NYC police department, county sheriff's offices, municipal police departments, and the division of homeland security and emergency services; directs the office for new Americans to conduct background screenings of all refugees who register; requires refugee resettlement agencies to submit quarterly reports to the bureau of refugee and immigrant assistance on the refugees to whom it provides assistance, and to monitor the activities of such refugees for a certain period of time; directs the division of homeland security and emergency services to develop and implement a plan to ensure compliance by refugee resettlement agencies.

Establishes a supplemental household and dependent care credit payment for taxpayers who are eligible for certain household and dependent care services necessary for gainful employment.

Provides judges with more discretion to impose bail on principals charged with a felony, principals charged with a misdemeanor when awaiting trial for another crime, principals who are a threat to the safety and security of the community, principals charged with a felony serving a sentence of probation or while released to post release supervision; requires principals who have been charged with an offense related to three separate alleged instances of criminal activity are committed to the custody of the sheriff.

Relates to protecting the communication rights of individuals with disabilities; provides that each person with a disability has the right to communicate in their preferred manner.

Provides that the tax imposed upon the sales on goods or services purchased from businesses which employ twenty or less persons, are resident in this state, are independently owned and operated and not dominant in their field, shall be two percent.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the state to reimburse counties for the full cost of Medicaid fraud detection software they've already purchased or plan to buy. It directly affects counties that use data mining tools to identify patterns of fraud, waste, or abuse in medical assistance programs. Counties must provide documentation (like receipts) of their software purchases, and the state will pay from the general fund. The reimbursement is automatic for qualifying software, defined as tools using statistical analysis to detect improper use of Medicaid.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows municipalities to offer a 5% real property tax exemption for primary residences owned by National Guard members or reservists. It defines "qualified owner" as active or retired military personnel and requires annual applications with military service verification. The exemption applies only to residential property used as a primary home (excluding non-residential portions) and cannot be combined with other military tax benefits. Municipalities must choose to adopt this option locally through their own ordinances.