Asm. David Weprin

Enacts the "Empowering People in Rights Enforcement (EMPIRE) Worker Protection Act"; relates to the delegation of state enforcement authority to private actors; authorizes an affected employee, whistleblower, representative organization or an organizational deputy to initiate a public enforcement action on behalf of the commissioner for certain provisions of the labor law, or any regulation promulgated thereunder.

Requires rates paid for rehabilitation and opioid treatment be pursuant to certain fee schedules published by the office of addiction services and supports.

Requires the collection and reporting of sexual offense evidence on the statewide electronic tracking system within seven days of permission to release the evidence by the alleged sexual offense victim; relates to additional rules and guidelines.

Authorizes an insurer to pay a claim for reimbursement made by a provider using a credit card, virtual credit card or electronic funds transfer payment method that imposes on the provider a free or similar charge to process the payment; defines "virtual credit card" as a single-use series of numbers linked to a fixed dollar amount and provided by an insurer to a provider for the purpose of paying a claim for health care services performed by the provider; makes related provisions.

Extends DEC's authority to regulate management of crabs to 12/31/2027; prohibits the taking of horseshoe crabs for commercial and biomedical purposes.

Requires reporting of statewide training hours allocated to each firefighter; requires such report shall identify the fire department or district providing the training.

Relates to including outpatient care provided by creative arts therapists in certain insurance policies covering care for other mental health services.

Maddy summaryThis bill ensures that cost-sharing requirements (like copays) for specific high-deductible health plans paired with health savings accounts (HSAs) do not make enrollees ineligible for HSAs. It requires that out-of-pocket costs only apply after a person meets the plan's deductible, except for preventive care services (e.g., vaccinations, screenings), which remain fully covered regardless of deductible status. The law directly affects individuals enrolled in HSA-qualified health plans and their insurers, clarifying when cost-sharing rules apply. It amends New York's insurance law to align with federal HSA eligibility rules under Section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Requires general hospitals to provide language assistance services; requires general hospitals to develop a language assistance program to ensure meaningful access to the general hospital's services and reasonable accommodation for all patients who require language assistance.

Establishes a reproductive health services training and education grant program to train licensed providers and interns or residents who are employed by a hospital or otherwise enrolled in an accredited graduate medical education program in the performance of abortion and related reproductive health services; establishes the reproductive health training and education fund.