Asm. Anna Kelles

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.

Provides that restaurants and third-party food delivery services may provide single-use food service items to customers when explicitly requested by the customer; prohibits certain plastic single-use items.

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.

Establishes the housing people and animals together grant program to expand access for co-sheltering people experiencing homelessness and victims of domestic violence with companion animals.

Strengthens protections against discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on actual or perceived immigration status, and to improve implementation and oversight under the Dignity for All Students Act.

Authorizes courts to hold evidentiary hearings for a temporary order of protection in certain circumstances; grants superior court judges the authority to issue a temporary order of protection when an action is pending in a local criminal court in certain circumstances.

Establishes the reentry assistance program; provides for eligible incarcerated individuals to receive a monthly stipend upon release from a state correctional facility; makes an appropriation of $25,000,000.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes specific eligibility restrictions for Medicaid home care services in New York. It repeals a provision requiring individuals seeking home care to meet strict activity-of-daily-living criteria (like needing assistance with multiple tasks) or dementia-related supervision levels. The change directly affects Medicaid recipients needing home care services, particularly those with dementia or Alzheimer's who previously faced these barriers. The policy shift simplifies eligibility by eliminating these prior requirements for people applying on or after October 1, 2020. The bill modifies New York's social services law to broaden access to home care services under Medicaid.