Asm. Joe DeStefano

Maddy summaryThis bill, the "Affordable NY Act," increases property tax relief for homeowners and adjusts New York's personal income tax rates. It directly affects homeowners who qualify for the STAR (School Tax Relief) program by doubling the base exemption amount for enhanced STAR from $30,000 to $60,000 (effective 2025-2026) and linking future increases to the Consumer Price Index. For income taxes, it revises tax brackets, lowering rates for middle-income earners (e.g., reducing the top rate for income over $161,550 from 6.57% to 6.49% in 2019). The changes take effect immediately for some provisions and for others starting in 2025. These adjustments aim to reduce tax burdens for qualifying homeowners and middle-income taxpayers.

Improves the transportation of children with special needs to and from school; provides that bussing time shall not exceed one and one-half hours; provides a special needs liaison to work with each family with a child with special needs; makes related provisions.

Prohibits an employer from terminating an employee who is also a volunteer firefighter or an enrolled member of a volunteer ambulance service when such employee misses or is late to work because of an emergency to which the employee was dispatched.

Increases the fine on individuals who commit the crime of criminal contempt in the first degree to up to $150,000 if such crime was wilfully committed persistently and/or egregiously as determined by the court.

Provides that each fire district, department or company required to provide enhanced cancer disability benefits for volunteer fire fighters pursuant to section two hundred five-cc of the general municipal law shall be entitled to reimbursement by the state for payments made in order to obtain the insurance coverage necessary to satisfy the requirements of section two hundred five-cc of the general municipal law.

Establishes the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund reform act; ensures that money deposited into the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund is spent on construction purposes and not DOT and DMV operational activities.

Maddy summaryThis bill caps the maximum interest rate for personal credit cards issued or used in New York State at 10% per year. It directly affects New York residents who use credit cards for personal, family, or household expenses, making any rate above 10% invalid. The law amends banking law to set this 10% limit and prohibits using credit cards with higher rates, allowing the attorney general to seek court action against violations. The bill takes effect immediately but expires and reverts to previous law after five years.

Directs the state energy planning board to conduct a study and prepare a report on the future of power plants in New York state; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon completion of the study and report.

Enacts Paige's law to provide education and awareness regarding brain arteriovenous malformation and brain aneurysms, as well as information on being a potential carrier of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, thoracic aortic aneurysms, Marfan syndrome and related disorders and genetic testing for such conditions and disorders.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's penal law to explicitly include "on-duty auxiliary police officers" within the legal definition of assault in the second degree. It directly affects auxiliary police officers by ensuring that injuring them while they're performing duties is treated as assault in the second degree, aligning their protection with that of regular police officers and other first responders. The key change is adding auxiliary officers to the list of protected personnel in the statute, without creating new penalties or altering existing legal standards for assault.