Rep. Jon Rivera

Relates to the performance of medical services by physician assistants; provides that a physician assistant may practice without the supervision of a physician when such physician assistant is employed by a health system or hospital and is credentialed and given privileges by such health system or hospital, or when such physician assistant is licensed, has practiced for more than six thousand hours, is practicing in primary care, and is performing certain functions.

Creates a set of media literacy standards for students in grades kindergarten through twelve which focuses on internet safety, civility and digital citizenship.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates rules for when construction projects must pay local prevailing wages. It applies to projects using at least 20% public funds (or $3 million/$5 million in public funds) for construction costs. Exemptions include single-family homes, small nonprofits, and certain affordable housing developments meeting specific affordability requirements. This affects contractors and developers working on qualifying projects funded in part by public money.

Relates to the employee status of an individual; establishes criteria for determining whether labor or services performed for remuneration qualify as employment.

Expands eligibility for tax abatement for rent-controlled and rent regulated property occupied by persons with disabilities to include individuals who do not meet the non-medical qualifications for SSDI and SSI but, by reason of the individual's disability, the individual is not able to engage in substantial gainful activity as that term is defined by the federal social security administration.

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.

Repeals the rebates for stock transfer tax paid; dedicates funds of the stock transfer tax fund and stock transfer incentive fund to various funds; establishes the safe water and infrastructure action program.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurers to automatically approve preauthorization requests for specific medical services when healthcare professionals (like doctors or nurses) have received approval for at least 90% of similar requests in the past six months. It directly affects healthcare providers who work with participating insurers and ensures insurers must pay for covered services without delay or reduction once automatic approval is granted. Key provisions include annual reviews (by November 15th) to maintain approval status, a 30-day notice period before rescinding approvals, and a guarantee that insurers cannot deny payment for services covered under the automatic approval. The law aims to reduce administrative delays for providers while maintaining insurer oversight through retrospective reviews.

Establishes the bilingual teachers of tomorrow teacher recruitment and retention program to attract and retain bilingual, certified teachers in schools with a bilingual teacher shortage; provides for grants and procedures for applying for such grants and eligibility requirements for fund distribution.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts municipal fiber optic broadband infrastructure in Erie County from real property taxes, levies, and assessments. It directly affects Erie County municipal broadband companies (like local authorities or municipalities building fiber networks) and their owned cable infrastructure, whether installed on public or private property. Key provisions require these companies to prioritize contractors with strong workplace safety practices, submit workforce plans detailing local hiring and safety standards, and comply with prevailing wage requirements. The exemption applies immediately to assessments for taxable status dates on or after the bill's effective date.