Asm. Keith Brown

Maddy summaryThis bill prevents local zoning rules from imposing stricter floor area ratio limits on dwellings located on active farms than those set by state law. Floor area ratio (the maximum building space allowed relative to land size) must align with state standards, meaning towns and villages cannot require smaller homes on farms than state rules allow. It directly affects farm property owners and local zoning boards, ensuring that existing state zoning requirements for farmland override more restrictive local rules. Violating local laws would automatically be unenforceable, streamlining compliance for farm residents. The bill focuses on clarifying existing zoning authority without creating new requirements.

Requires vapor products dealers to be registered with the department of health; permits municipalities to require additional registration of vapor products dealers; permits the revocation of licenses and registrations by the commissioner of health, the cannabis control board, the state liquor authority, and the department of taxation and finance as a result of the knowing and unlawful sale of cannabis.

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.

Allows for the denial, suspension or discontinuance of public assistance or care where a person does not participate in three consecutive scheduled interviews with a social services official.

Creates the commission on battery fire safety practices to evaluate the need for resources for police, volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services concerning health and safety best practices when responding to lithium-ion battery incidents.

Requires a defendant who causes the death of a person with children due to driving while intoxicated or impaired to pay for child support of such children until they reach the age of 18 years old.

Includes all FDA approved forms and doses of Naloxone as opioid antagonists in the state definition of opioid antagonists; requires the department of health to approve all forms and doses of Naloxone approved by the FDA as opioid antagonists.

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.

Relates to establishing guidelines for DAs with regard to electronic conversion of certain records, books or papers in the care, custody or control of DAs that are more than 10 years old.