Asm. Charles Lavine

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's Penal Law to explicitly include animal fighting under the definition of criminal activity for enterprise corruption charges. It adds "section three hundred fifty-one of the agriculture and markets law relating to animal fighting" to the list of offenses that qualify as criminal activity in enterprise corruption cases. This change directly affects prosecutors and courts handling cases where animal fighting is part of a larger criminal enterprise, allowing such cases to be prosecuted under enterprise corruption statutes. The key mechanism is a technical update to the legal definition, not a new policy or funding measure.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new criminal offense called "endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree" for individuals who knowingly or recklessly create a serious risk of physical injury or long-term harm to a child under 17. It specifically applies when someone causes physical injury to a child under 7, or has prior convictions for certain crimes involving children under 17. The offense is classified as a class E felony, carrying more severe penalties than the existing "second degree" offense (a class A misdemeanor). The law directly affects caregivers, parents, or others responsible for children's safety who fail to prevent serious harm.

Maddy summaryThis bill mandates that all public and private schools in the state include instruction on the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and its aftermath as part of required civic education courses. It affects all students over age eight in the state's schools by requiring teachers to cover this event alongside other historical topics like slavery, the Holocaust, and human rights issues. The law directs education regents to develop curriculum guidelines and authorizes school commissioners to enforce compliance, including withholding funding for noncompliance. The policy requires schools to integrate this topic into existing civic education frameworks without specifying teaching methods or materials.

Provides that publicly funded libraries may not ban books because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval; directs school districts to adopt the ALA library bill of rights.

Prohibits the establishment of new charter schools, or the revision of any charter in, or within a five mile radius of, the Hempstead union free school district, the Uniondale union free school district, or the Roosevelt union free school district.

Permits villages located in counties with a population between one million and one million five hundred thirty thousand to adopt local laws to implement a demonstration program imposing monetary liability not to exceed fifty dollars on the owner of a vehicle for failure of an operator to comply with stop signs; permits such villages to install and operate stop sign photo violation monitoring systems as part of such demonstration program.

Authorizes the commissioner of motor vehicles to establish and administer a program authorizing eligible vehicles to operate in designated high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, notwithstanding vehicle occupancy.

Requires more specific data reporting by the chief administrator to include information relating to all courts in the unified court system, including town and village courts.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases criminal penalties for damaging property or stealing items at religious worship sites and cemeteries. It makes damaging religious items (like scrolls, vestments, or religious symbols) at churches, synagogues, or religious museums a class D felony, and upgrades cemetery vandalism or theft (e.g., headstones, monuments) to higher felony levels based on value. Offenders face harsher punishments for targeting these specific locations, including theft exceeding $250 at cemeteries or damage exceeding $2,000 at religious sites. The law directly affects individuals who commit these acts at protected locations, with penalties now reflecting the heightened seriousness of targeting sacred or memorial spaces.

Requires state agencies and courts to take into consideration the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition and contemporary examples of antisemitism when reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any non-criminal or criminal law, rule, or policy prohibiting discriminatory acts.