Asm. Jen Lunsford

Maddy summaryBill A 8082 establishes a new retirement service credit for members of public retirement systems who have served as volunteer firefighters or emergency service personnel. Eligible members can receive one year of service credit for every five years of volunteer service, up to a maximum of three years of credit for fifteen years of service. To qualify, members must have at least five years of other credited service and pay a fee equivalent to three percent of their compensation for the twelve months prior to application, for each year of credited volunteer service. This credit can be applied towards special twenty or twenty-five year retirement plans.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New York school districts to use existing private transportation contractors from other districts to transport their students, a practice known as "piggybacking," if doing so results in cost savings and meets safety standards. It authorizes school boards to enter into these agreements with the commissioner's approval and defines the types of transportation contracts and vehicles covered under the new rules. Additionally, the legislation updates legal definitions related to school buses, drivers, and motor carriers, while requiring annual reviews of bus driver driving records to ensure safety compliance. The changes directly affect school districts, transportation contractors, and drivers involved in student transportation logistics.

Allows a party asserting a claim to discontinue an action without procedural delays when the discontinuance would benefit an unrepresented party and that party has not responded to a request to stipulate to a discontinuance in a reasonable period of time.

Eliminates the prospective enrollment waiting period for children under the age of nineteen enrolling in the child health insurance plan program by enrolling a child retroactively to the first day of the month in which they are approved for coverage under such program.

Establishes the hospice workforce stabilization and innovation program; grants for staff retention incentives, continuing education, professional certification including board certification in hospice and palliative care, workforce wellness initiatives, and other workforce support activities approved by the department; creates grants for establishing regional hospice workforce pipeline programs.

Expands the eligibility period for indigent legal service attorneys to receive certain loan forgiveness; increases loan reimbursement for certain attorneys who work in legal services with indigent clients.

Establishes a mandatory statewide, classroom-based water safety education program; provides that the commissioner of education shall work with New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance certified educators to develop and promulgate a statewide, age-appropriate, classroom-based water safety education guidance document; provides that within twenty-four months of the effective date of the bill, the department of education shall initiate statewide implementation of water safety education; provides that instruction shall be classroom-based and waterless and shall not require student access to aquatic facilities, swimming instruction, or in-water assessment.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows unaccompanied children in federal custody (such as those under U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' refugee resettlement programs) to directly petition New York family courts for dependency status. It creates a new court process where children or their advocates can file petitions seeking court orders to ensure proper care, without requiring the child to be physically present in New York. The courts must determine dependency based on evidence like sworn statements, and if approved, can issue orders to protect the child's safety while recognizing their federal custody. The bill does not change federal custody arrangements but ensures children in these situations have access to New York's family court system for care decisions.

Enacts the "PFAS discharge disclosure act"; requires certain SPDES permit holders to conduct PFAS monitoring and disclose the results from such monitoring.

Enacts the accelerate solar for affordable power (ASAP) act to set a new target for distributed solar energy capacity and direct the public service commission to advance reforms to the utility interconnection process to ensure timely and cost-effective integration of new distributed energy resources.