Asm. Brian Miller

Maddy summaryThis bill raises the maximum age for provisional or permanent appointment as a police officer in certain government departments from 35 to 40 years old. It directly affects applicants for competitive civil service positions in the Department of Environmental Conservation, county, city, town, village, housing authority, or police district police forces. The key change modifies the age requirement for the written examination date, allowing applicants up to age 40 to qualify instead of the previous 35-year limit. This adjustment applies broadly across eligible departments, with specific exceptions for military service time or existing employees under limited circumstances.

Allows students attending agricultural learning events to be counted as in attendance at school; defines "agricultural learning events" as including FFA events and 4-H programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates two new criminal offenses for threatening violence at specific locations like schools, places of worship, or public gatherings. It establishes "second degree" for individuals under 18 threatening schools or other locations (with a $35,000 fine and 10-100 days detention), and "first degree" for anyone making such threats (a class D felony with a $35,000 fine and 3+ years in prison). The law applies to threats made in writing, verbally, or through any communication method. The bill takes effect November 1, 2025, and amends existing penal code sections to set these penalties.

Relates to youth programs sponsored by fire departments; provides that participants may respond to an emergency or hazardous activity, but shall remain in a designated or marked off area that has been set up by the chief or officer in charge; provides such participant cannot respond to an emergency on a vehicle using lights and/or sirens; provides such participants may not enter a burning structure.

Provides milk dealers and agricultural food product transporters with electronic toll collection devices free of charge; requires the department of transportation to reimburse the thruway authority and the metropolitan transportation authority for costs incurred in providing such toll collection devices.

Directs the department of economic development to study methods for keeping small retail businesses within the state and create a pilot program to train and counsel small business owners and potential small business owners; appropriates $210,000 therefor.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows local governments (counties, cities, towns, villages, or school districts) to grant a 100% exemption from real property taxes to veterans who served in combat and are 100% permanently disabled due to military service, or to their unmarried surviving spouses. It directly affects eligible disabled veterans and their surviving spouses by potentially eliminating their property tax burden. The key provision lets localities choose to provide this full exemption, overriding any existing local limits on property tax exemptions. The exemption applies to property tax assessments starting January 1, 2025.

Relates to the time period in which an application for refund can be made when the refund is based on a clerical error or unlawful entry by allowing a full refund without time limitation.

Prohibits an employer from terminating an employee who is also a volunteer firefighter or an enrolled member of a volunteer ambulance service when such employee misses or is late to work because of an emergency to which the employee was dispatched.

Establishes the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund reform act; ensures that money deposited into the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund is spent on construction purposes and not DOT and DMV operational activities.