Asm. Dave McDonough

Maddy summaryBill A 268 prohibits the sale, lease, or offering of infant walkers by manufacturers, retailers, and other dealers within the state. It also restricts child care facilities from using or having infant walkers on their premises, except when deemed medically necessary by a professional for a specific child. The Office of Children and Family Services is directed to notify child care facilities and create rules for this restriction. Violations of the sales prohibition can result in injunctions and civil penalties up to $500 per sale.

Directs the state comptroller to conduct an audit of the department of financial services to ensure the agency is meeting its responsibility to evaluate and assess insurer compliance with federal and state mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements.

Directs the state comptroller to conduct an audit of the department of health and other agencies to ensure that the agency meets its responsibilities to review and assess Medicaid managed care organizations for compliance with federal and state requirements to maintain adequate health care providers within network, and to meet mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements.

Requires the forfeiture of benefits to be paid pursuant to a service awards program to volunteer firefighters who have been convicted of felonies committed against a volunteer fire department, volunteer fire company, fire district, or fire protection district.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers the regional state park police from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to the Division of State Police. It directly affects park police officers, their current employer, and the state police division by moving all duties, personnel, facilities, records, vehicles, and assets to the new division. Key provisions ensure employees face no salary reduction, retain accrued leave and seniority, and must pass background checks to join the state police; those with four or more years of service may skip standard promotion waiting periods. The transfer preserves ongoing cases, contracts, and rules without disruption, with the Division of State Police assuming all related responsibilities.

Requires nonpublic and private elementary and secondary schools to require their prospective employees to submit fingerprints through the commissioner of education for the purpose of criminal background checks; authorizes conditional appointment of employees by such schools pending determination of the criminal background check.

Creates a Down syndrome awareness program to provide up-to-date and evidence-based information on Down syndrome to health care providers who order tests for a pregnant woman or infants to screen for Down syndrome.

Relates to creating the health emergency response data system, which collects information and statistical data relating to public health emergencies in order to assist the department of health, other government entities, health care providers, and the public in understanding and responding to public health emergencies.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as "Detective Brian Simonsen's Law," requires wireless service providers to stop services for stolen mobile phones. It mandates that carriers maintain programs to block devices identified as stolen on the GSMA block list, which is a shared industry database. Additionally, the law obligates carriers to report the unique identification numbers of newly stolen phones to this database and to suspend service immediately upon receiving a verified report from a customer. These measures aim to prevent the use of stolen phones on networks while ensuring stolen devices are tracked across the industry.

Relates to the provision of patient health information and medical records; expands the definition of medical records to include all health related records; prohibits fees for providing certain records.