Rep. Scott Gray

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the occupancy tax in St. Lawrence County from three percent to five percent. It directly affects guests staying in hotels, motels, and boarding houses within the county by raising the fee charged on their room rental rates. The legislation authorizes the county to collect this higher tax on a per-night basis for all lodging accommodations. The change takes effect immediately upon the bill's passage.

Exempts persons holding the offices of public health director and director of community services of St. Lawrence county from the requirement that such person be a resident of the political subdivision or municipal corporation of the state for which such person shall be chosen or within which such person's official functions are required to be exercised.

Directs NYSERDA to issue a request for proposals to identify cities, towns, or villages that are interested in participating in municipal-level energy efficiency and weatherization pilot projects to help decrease residential energy usage and reduce future capital costs for utilities; directs NYSERDA to identify three pilot areas focusing on the ability to replicate projects elsewhere and the costs and benefits to ratepayers both in the affected area and in the rest of the utility service territory.

Maddy summaryThis bill offers temporary relief on utility costs for one year and exempts fees related to green energy projects for two years. During the first year, customers will not pay sales tax, gross receipts tax, or specific surcharges on their utility bills, and utility companies must lower their rates to match the savings. The second part of the bill prevents utility companies from charging ratepayers for building renewable energy systems, electric vehicle infrastructure, or charging stations for two years. To cover the lost tax revenue, the state will transfer money from its general fund to the relevant accounts after the one-year holiday ends. These changes directly affect all utility customers and those involved in renewable energy or electric vehicle projects.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow Nassau County to optionally provide disability coverage for its probation officers. If enacted, it would require the county to pay full salary and cover all medical costs if a probation officer is injured or becomes ill while performing job duties. The coverage would apply specifically to Nassau County probation officers (not officers in other counties) and prohibits medical providers from billing officers for covered treatments. The bill amends existing municipal law to include county probation officers under the same disability coverage provisions already available to other public safety personnel in Nassau County.

Includes retirement plans in the exemption for pensions and annuities for certain persons; increases such exemption to one hundred thousand dollars as adjusted by the consumer price index annually.

Directs the commissioner of the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services to establish a program for individuals to receive free drug test strips to detect the presence of medetomidine, benzodiazepine, nitazenes, and/or other harmful contaminants; directs the commissioner of the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services, in cooperation with the commissioner of the department of health, to develop and conduct a public awareness and educational campaign on the dangers of medetomidine, benzodiazepine, nitazenes, and/or other harmful contaminants.

Requires a pharmacy benefit manager to pay a participating pharmacy at minimum at the national average drug acquisition cost (NADAC) rate, or at the pharmacy acquisition cost rate if greater or there is not a NADAC rate, plus a professional dispensing fee that is at minimum the professional dispensing fee paid under the state medical assistance program.

Requires an operator of a covered platform with at least one million users to ensure that its covered platform provides a process to allow law enforcement agencies to contact such covered platform, which shall provide continuous availability of such process; provides that an operator of a covered platform with at least one million users shall comply with a search warrant within seventy-two hours of receipt under certain circumstances; provides that a court may extend the time for compliance with a search warrant under certain circumstances.

Permits an eligible retirement system member to receive, in lieu of an ordinary death benefit, a death benefit such member would otherwise be entitled to receive provided such member is a state-paid judge or justice of the unified court system or a housing judge of the civil court of the city of New York.