Asm. Vivian Cook

Maddy summaryThis bill requires retailers to clearly label specific perishable and packaged foods with two dates: a "safety date" (indicating the last safe consumption date) and a "quality date" (indicating the last recommended consumption date). It applies to common products like eggs, high-moisture baked goods (e.g., breads, cakes), dairy items (e.g., yogurt, cheese, milk), and other refrigerated foods. Retailers must display both dates on the container, and state health and agriculture officials will create detailed rules for how these labels appear. The law takes effect 180 days after enactment.

Requires instruction in arts and music education to be incorporated into curriculums for all public school students; requires school districts to ensure that appropriately certified teachers are providing such education; authorizes rules and regulations consistent with such provisions.

Allocates the Amistad commission to work alongside the department of education and on behalf of students in the state; repeals certain provisions relating to the Amistad commission; requires schools in the state to provide curriculum relating to Black history, slavery, and race.

Requires that for hire vehicles with a chassis which was manufactured and then altered for the purpose of transporting ten or more occupants, including the driver, be equipped with an operable carbon monoxide detector.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 5158) requires for-hire vehicles carrying nine or more passengers (like taxis and ride-share vans) to have New York state-issued license plates to receive mandatory safety inspections. Vehicles with out-of-state plates would be denied safety inspections under this rule. The law specifically applies to vehicles with nine or more passenger seats (excluding the driver), as defined in the bill. It changes inspection eligibility based solely on license plate origin, ensuring these vehicles meet New York's safety standards through state registration.

Enacts the affordable waste reduction act"; defines terms; provides for registration of producer responsibility organizations and service providers; establishes the producer responsibility advisory board; provides for department of environmental conservation responsibilities; provides for producer responsibility advisory board, organization, producer and service provider responsibilities; creates a recyclable or compostable covered materials lists and exempt materials list; establishes producer fees; provides for service provider reimbursement; makes related provisions.

Requires insurers which issue contracts providing long term care benefits to maintain records of policies cancelled during each year and requires that such records indicate which policies were cancelled due to, or within thirty days after, an increase in policy premiums.

Relates to procedures relating to driving while ability impaired by drugs; defines impairment and intoxication; updates procedures for field testing of drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs to include the use of oral/bodily fluid tests; provides that refusal to submit to such field tests is specified to be a traffic infraction; makes related provisions.

Requires insurers offering renewal of certain Medicare supplemental insurance policies or providing notification of a change in premiums of such policies to notify policyholders of the availability of policies offered by such insurer with similar benefits at a comparable premium or the ability of such policyholder to purchase a different policy without the pre-existing condition waiting period; applies to policies for which such insurers no longer accept new contracts but continue to renew for existing policyholders.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes sentencing rules for youthful offenders (individuals under 18) who receive a "youthful offender finding" instead of a felony conviction. It requires courts to impose sentences based on the type of felony involved: for felonies in specific articles (e.g., violent or sex offenses), sentences follow class E felony guidelines, including mandatory post-release supervision. For other felonies, standard class E felony sentencing applies, but judges cannot issue conditional/unconditional discharges in certain cases. The law takes effect immediately for offenses committed on or after the effective date.