Asm. Juan Ardila

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new task force within the Department of Labor to help state agencies hire and keep people with disabilities in competitive jobs. The group will consist of 16 members appointed by the governor, including representatives from various state departments, labor unions, businesses, and individuals with disabilities. Their main job is to study unemployment issues, review existing programs, and develop strategies to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The task force must meet at least four times a year and submit a report with recommendations to state leaders within two years of starting.

Relates to utilization review program standards; requires use of evidence-based and peer reviewed clinical review criteria; relates to prescription drug formulary changes and pre-authorization for certain health care services.

Enacts the "Consumer and Small business Protection Act"; relates to standing for persons affected by prohibited or unlawful business practices; expands prohibited acts to include unfair, deceptive or abusive acts.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires state, county, and local transportation projects to prioritize safe access for all road users, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit riders. It mandates that agencies using complete street design principles consider these needs during the planning, design, and construction of new or rebuilt roads, while also applying these standards to maintenance projects lasting at least ten years. Additionally, the legislation updates the criteria for determining when a road project is unnecessary, adding community support as a key factor alongside traffic volume and land use. The law will not apply to projects approved before it becomes effective and will take effect approximately 260 days after passage.

Requires certain watercraft, aircrafts, and trains to use clean energy, including ensuring such vehicles are zero-emissions; requires NYSERDA to study zero-emission commercial vehicles, the use of renewable energy in publicly funded airports, and the use of sustainable aviation fuel; requires NYSERDA to administer a grant program to flying schools and clubs that install charging infrastructure.

Enacts "Melanie's law"; relates to orders of protection; allows courts to issue orders of protection for immediate family members or household members of the named victims, regardless of age.

Enacts the reproductive health care facilities and religious worship access act; provides that the crime of criminal interference with health care services or religious worship shall be established by the mens rea of knowingly injuring, intimidating or interfering with a person obtaining or providing or assisting in obtaining or providing reproductive health services or a place of religious worship; includes in the definition of such crime engaging in a course of conduct or repeatedly committing acts within twenty-five feet of the premises of a reproductive health care facility or a place of religious worship; defines such premises; provides for a civil cause of action for any person harmed by conduct constituting such a crime.

Defines the practice of certified registered nurse anesthetist; requires collaboration with a licensed physician qualified to determine the need for anesthesia services; requires licensing; defines qualifications.

Provides that the thruway authority shall issue permits for ambulances and fire vehicles exempting such vehicles from paying tolls on the thruway when engaged in an emergency operation.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates how the state calculates payment rates for federally qualified health centers to better reflect their actual operating costs. It requires the health department to analyze cost data from the previous five years, taking into account factors like the scope of services, staffing needs, and technology expenses. Starting in April 2025, the department must issue new payment rates based on this analysis, explicitly removing previous caps on payments as long as they remain eligible for federal funding. The law also changes how future rate adjustments are made, shifting from a standard Medicare index to a specific market basket measure for periods after September 2025.