Asm. Ed Braunstein

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts dry cleaning businesses from sales and use taxes on specific equipment certified by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for pollution control. It directly affects dry cleaning businesses that install qualifying professional cleaning systems designed to prevent or abate pollution from their operations. The exemption applies only to systems that do not use EPA-hazardous air pollutants and are already exempt from air facility registration with the DEC. The policy change removes a tax burden for eligible equipment, aiming to encourage adoption of environmentally safer dry cleaning technology.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds tianeptine sodium to New York's Schedule II list of controlled substances under public health law. Schedule II classification means it will require strict prescription controls and limit distribution due to its high potential for abuse and accepted medical use. The change directly affects healthcare providers who prescribe it, pharmacies that dispense it, and individuals using the substance. This policy shift formalizes existing regulatory restrictions on tianeptine sodium as a controlled substance.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3742) requires all high schools to keep opioid antagonists (like naloxone) available for emergency overdose treatment and to have at least one trained employee present during all school hours and after-school activities. The law mandates schools to acquire the medication, designate a staff member who completed approved training in its use, and ensure that employee oversees storage and administration. It directly affects high schools, students, and staff by establishing a concrete protocol for responding to opioid overdoses on school grounds. The bill takes immediate effect upon enactment and does not include exemptions for school activities.

Establishes the crime of aggravated harassment by means of electronic or digital communication; provides for a private right of action for the unlawful dissemination or publication of deep fakes, which are digitized images which are altered to incorporate a person's face or their identifiable body part onto an image and such image depicts a pornographic or lewd sex act or graphic violence.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends New York City's on-demand E-hail paratransit pilot program until March 31, 2027, and requires expanding it to include 1,200 additional Access-A-Ride paratransit users by March 2026. The program allows eligible Access-A-Ride users to book immediate rides via smartphone app or phone, with fares matching standard bus/subway base rates and service hours aligned with regular transit. Expansion must use existing 2019 funding levels and select a representative sample of users across age, disability, location, and ride frequency. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority must report on pilot usage, costs, and ridership by April 2027.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's Mental Hygiene Law to clarify criteria for court-ordered outpatient treatment and hospitalization for people with severe mental illness. It updates definitions to explicitly include "serious harm" from self-neglect (like untreated psychosis or inability to meet basic needs) as grounds for intervention, beyond just immediate violence risk. The law requires clinicians to first assess whether outpatient treatment could be effective before pursuing involuntary hospitalization. It aims to expand access to existing assisted outpatient programs (like "Kendra's Law") by removing barriers preventing eligible individuals from receiving community-based care.

Enacts the "local, community and ethnic media commitment act"; requires state agencies to publish certain information in local, community and ethnic media; defines local, community and ethnic media; requires the office of general services to develop and maintain a list of local, community and ethnic media outlets.

Establishes Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as school holidays, with dates established by religious law and tradition; allows for school districts and municipalities with a population of less than fifty thousand to opt into the recognition of such holidays.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a $500 annual tax credit for K-12 teachers in New York who pay out-of-pocket for approved classroom supplies. It covers expenses like books, writing tools, paper, instructional materials, and field trips, but excludes religious materials, sports programs, and most extracurricular activities (except music/drama). The credit reduces income tax liability, with any excess paid as a refund if it exceeds the tax owed. The credit applies to taxable years starting January 1, 2027, and is limited to qualified public or private schools. It directly benefits teachers who bear these costs without employer reimbursement.

Maddy summaryThis bill restores a 20-year service requirement for normal retirement benefits for New York City police officers, reversing a 2012 change that raised the requirement to 22 years. It directly affects NYPD police/fire members under the New York City Police Pension Fund, allowing them to qualify for normal retirement benefits after 20 years of service instead of 22. The key mechanism amends three sections of the Retirement and Social Security Law to specify that NYPD officers meet the service threshold at 20 years (for normal retirement), while other groups like correction/sanitation officers remain at 22 years. The bill makes this change effective immediately without altering age requirements or early retirement rules.