Increases the number of judges in family court to 67; adds twelve additional judges to the civil court of the city of New York; adds additional family court judges to Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Erie, Jefferson, Nassau, Rensselaer, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's workers' compensation law to increase short-term disability and family leave benefits for eligible employees. It defines specific conditions for family leave, such as caring for a sick relative or bonding with a new child, and clarifies who qualifies as a health care provider. The legislation mandates that employers maintain health insurance coverage during leave and requires reinstatement to the employee's original or a comparable job upon return. Additionally, it prohibits retaliatory actions against workers for taking approved leave and establishes a schedule for gradually increasing weekly benefit amounts and the maximum duration of leave over several years.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires gas and electric corporations in New York to maintain call centers within the state to handle customer inquiries about billing, service applications, and emergency assistance. It mandates that companies cannot close or relocate these call centers outside the state without first providing public notice, holding a hearing, and receiving approval from the public service commission. The legislation also establishes strict penalties, including fines up to $100,000 per day for unauthorized closures or relocations, and allows the commission to take action against companies that knowingly fail to comply with these requirements.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's harassment laws to classify the removal or threat of removing religious clothing as a crime of aggravated harassment in the second degree. It directly affects individuals who may have their religious garments taken or threatened to be taken away by someone intending to harass, annoy, threaten, or alarm them. The law specifies that this act is criminal when motivated by the perpetrator's beliefs or perceptions about the victim's race, religion, gender, or other protected characteristics, regardless of whether those beliefs are accurate. By adding this specific behavior to the list of prohibited physical contacts, the legislation expands the scope of what constitutes criminal harassment in public spaces.
Deems a person who engages in sexual conduct during the period of their probation with his or her supervising probation officer as being incapable of consent.
Requires public notice and public engagement when a general hospital seeks to close entirely or a unit that provides maternity, mental health or substance use care.
Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Fashion Environmental Accountability Act, requires large fashion retailers to conduct standardized environmental due diligence on their supply chains and creates a remediation fund to address harms. It applies to businesses selling new clothing, shoes, or bags with over $100 million in annual revenue, excluding used clothing sellers and most multi-brand retailers. Companies must map their suppliers across four tiers, from raw material providers to finished goods manufacturers, and report on their efforts to prevent or mitigate environmental damage. The legislation mandates that these reports be independently verified and published using open data principles, while defining a "living wage" as a key standard for worker compensation.
Enacts the "packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure act" to require companies selling, offering for sale, or distributing packaging materials and products to register with a packaging reduction organization to develop a packaging reduction and recycling plan.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits employers, educational institutions, and other organizations from requiring individuals to submit copies of their own criminal history records obtained from the Division of Criminal Justice Services. By removing this requirement, the legislation aims to reduce barriers for people seeking licenses, jobs, or enrollment in schools who have already undergone the official background check process. The law also strengthens existing protections against discrimination based on criminal convictions by establishing a legal presumption that excludes prior incarceration records from evidence in negligence lawsuits. These changes take effect approximately 120 days after the bill becomes law, ensuring a transition period for affected entities to adjust their hiring and admission procedures.
Maddy summaryThis bill proposes changing the state constitution to allow the legislature to adjust the number of Supreme Court justices in each judicial district based on population. Under the new rules, the number of justices could be increased if a district's population grows, with a limit of one justice for every fifty thousand people, or decreased if the population shrinks, provided the total does not fall below the current authorized number. The amendment also clarifies that judges from specific county courts in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island would serve as Supreme Court justices within their respective districts. Because this change requires a constitutional amendment, the bill must be published for three months before the next general election and approved by voters.
