Asm. Jen Lunsford

Maddy summaryThis bill requires transit authorities and their subsidiaries to ensure accessible buses (wheelchair-friendly) are available within a three-mile service area of any bus line. It mandates that 65% of all regularly operated buses must be accessible, achieved by requiring all newly purchased, leased, or brought-into-service buses (except those for temporary shortages) to be accessible until the 65% threshold is met. The law directly affects public transit agencies like the MTA, ensuring better access for transportation-disabled riders, including wheelchair users, on fixed-route bus services. Key provisions include the 65% accessibility target and the 3-mile service area requirement for accessible buses.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a state-approved program for nonpartisan poll monitors in New York elections. Civic organizations (groups focused on voter education and election integrity) and ballot issue committees (groups promoting specific ballot measures) can appoint up to two monitors per polling place, but must first get approval from the State Board of Elections. To qualify, organizations must prove they've maintained a New York office for over a year, provide voter rights training materials, and have monitors sign a pledge to remain nonpartisan. The State Board must approve or deny applications 32-45 days before an election, with limited appeal options. The program aims to provide independent oversight of polling places while ensuring monitors follow strict neutrality rules.

Establishes a tax credit for individuals who serve or are employed as a direct support professional, or direct care worker, up to five thousand dollars for taxpayers who make less than fifty thousand dollars and phased out for individuals who make over one hundred thousand dollars.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates tax-advantaged savings accounts for small businesses, allowing them to deduct contributions (up to 10% of prior year's gross profits) and receive tax-free distributions during qualifying economic hardship. It directly affects eligible small businesses with 25 or fewer average full-time employees and under $250,000 annual net income. Key provisions include requiring hardship distributions to fund worker hiring or job retention, setting annual limits on qualified distributions, and mandating reinvestment plans for hardship withdrawals. The tax exemptions for contributions and qualified distributions begin in 2025, with penalties for misusing funds.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York's Office of Children and Family Services to automatically include any annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in the next base payment rate for foster care providers. It directly affects foster care providers - such as relatives, agencies, and family boarding homes - who receive state aid for caring for foster children. The key provision mandates that COLAs provided in a given year must be incorporated into the following year's base rate, added to any existing adjustments like trend factors or staff retention bonuses. This ensures foster care payments rise with inflation without needing separate legislative action each year.

Establishes the "education equity act" which provides language assistance to parents or guardians who have children enrolled in public school and whose primary language is not English; defines terms; creates an annual language assistance plan to assess language needs in the district; requires the department of education to establish web pages detailing the rights of parents to translation services in each covered language; requires annual reports by each school district to the local board of education.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New York's enhanced STAR property tax exemption by adding distributions from thrift savings plans (established before 1984) to the list of income types excluded from the eligibility calculation. It affects homeowners applying for the enhanced STAR exemption, who must now exclude these distributions when determining their income for tax purposes. The bill also requires applicants who didn’t file tax returns to submit a detailed statement to the state department outlining their unreported income sources and amounts. These changes apply to exemption applications for tax years beginning in 2019 and later.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals a requirement that applicants must pass an exam to become a licensed master social worker in New York. It directly affects individuals seeking this specific license by removing the examination step from the qualification process. The key provision eliminates Section 7704(d) of the Education Law, which previously mandated the exam. As a result, applicants will no longer need to pass a test to qualify for the license, simplifying the licensing pathway. The change takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 1082) requires hospitals and clinics to provide electronic access to medical records when requested by insurance reviewers (utilization review agents) for specific health care reviews. It mandates that providers adopt processes for this electronic access while limiting requests to only necessary record sections - requiring full records only when medically necessary to verify care, not routinely. The bill also restricts reviewers from routinely demanding coded diagnoses or full patient records during initial reviews. These changes aim to streamline reviews while maintaining patient record confidentiality under existing privacy laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires schools to add a checkbox on student registration forms, allowing parents to authorize library cards for their minor children during enrollment. The state education board must create a system to process these requests through the school forms. It directly affects parents, public libraries, and schools by integrating library access into the standard registration process. The law takes effect 120 days after enactment.