Asm. Steven Raga

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 protections for adults sixty years of age or older, or at least the age of eighteen and who, because of mental or physical impairments, are unable to manage their own resources or protect themselves from financial exploitation without assistance from others.

Authorizes the dispensing of abortion medication under certain conditions; requires insurance policies providing coverage for contraception to provide coverage for abortion medication.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new policy allowing pay-per-ride Metrocard users to receive two automatic free transfers between subway and bus, or between buses owned by the authority, without additional cost. It directly affects Metrocard users who pay for individual rides, providing them with two transfers valid for two hours from the time their fare is paid. The policy requires separate state funding for implementation and cannot be paid from the authority's regular operating or capital budget. The bill does not change existing fare structures but adds this transfer benefit for eligible riders.

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.

Lowers the blood alcohol concentration required for driving while intoxicated from .08 of one per centum to .05, and for aggravated driving while intoxicated from .18 per centum to .12.

Requires cultural awareness and competence training for medical professionals, including two hours of course work or training encompassing minority healthcare issues; provides an exemption for certain individuals; requires hospitals and facilities to request documentation of the completion of training from employees and prospective employees.

Enacts the "faith-based affordable housing act" for development on residential land; defines terms; provides that each village, town, and city shall allow the construction and occupation of residential buildings on any covered site up to the specified densities; provides that all residential buildings constructed pursuant to this section in a town, village, or city with fewer than one million inhabitants shall set aside twenty percent of the residential floor area for households earning an average of eighty percent of area median income; outlines the densities for New York city; makes related provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 7339) requires most health insurance plans in New York to cover fertility preservation services when a medical treatment (like cancer therapy) may cause infertility. It directly affects insured individuals undergoing treatments that risk reproductive health, such as chemotherapy or surgery. Key provisions mandate coverage for standard fertility preservation (e.g., egg or sperm freezing) with possible deductibles, while prohibiting insurers from denying coverage based on health conditions like anticipated infertility or personal characteristics (age, gender identity, sexual orientation). The law applies to comprehensive medical insurance policies and takes effect immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases penalties for landlords who overcharge tenants in rent-regulated housing. If a landlord is found to have willfully overcharged, they must pay five times the overcharge amount (up from three times). Landlords can avoid the higher penalty by proving the overcharge was unintentional and not due to negligence, in which case they pay only the overcharge plus interest. The bill also clarifies that voluntary rent refunds after a complaint is filed cannot be used as evidence the overcharge was not willful.