Asm. Rebecca Kassay

Relates to returnable bottles; adds noncarbonated soft drinks, certain noncarbonated fruit or vegetable juices, coffee and tea beverages, carbonated fruit beverages and cider to the definition of "beverage"; provides that beginning April 1, 2027, the handling fee will be six cents for each beverage container accepted by a deposit initiator from a dealer or operator of a redemption center; directs the multi-agency bottle bill fraud investigation team to submit a report on findings of pervasive bottle redemption fraud in New York state.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes it a felony to intentionally stage a construction site accident to file a fraudulent insurance claim. It directly affects individuals or groups who enter construction sites to fake injuries or damage with the specific intent of submitting a false insurance claim. The law criminalizes both personally staging such accidents and directing others to do so, treating it as a class E felony punishable by prison time. The key provision creates a new criminal offense specifically targeting insurance fraud at construction sites.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 6913) requires all cosmetology licensees and applicants in New York to complete an online domestic violence and sexual assault awareness course. The course, developed by the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence with advocacy groups, covers abuse definitions, warning signs, how to support victims, local resources, cultural considerations, and legal protections. It must be culturally competent, linguistically accessible, and include practical strategies for salon environments. The law affects current and new cosmetology license holders, mandating completion before license issuance or renewal.

Repeals the provision of law that volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers who receive a real property tax exemption for service may not receive the income tax credit for such service.

Requires the department of health to develop and distribute educational materials, such as pamphlets and posters, to the public relating to common myths and misconceptions associated with asthma through healthcare providers, schools, and other channels.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians and cyclists using multi-use trails when those trails cross roadways within a crosswalk. It directly affects drivers at trail-roadway intersections and trail users (including bicyclists) who cross roadways. The key provision mandates that vehicles stop for trail users in contiguous crosswalks, treating them like pedestrians under traffic law. The bill defines "multi-use trail" broadly to include state, local, or private recreational paths maintained for non-motorized transport. It takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Increases the penalties for leaving the scene of an accident involving an electric scooter without reporting in the second degree and leaving the scene of an accident involving an electric scooter without reporting in the first degree; provides increased penalties for leaving the scene of an accident involving a wheeled non-motorized means of conveyance without reporting in the first and second degrees when the vehicle involved is a bicycle with an electric assist system.

Directs the commissioner of social services to authorize the payment of medical assistance funds for rapid whole genome sequencing for persons under twenty-one years of age under certain medical circumstances.

Establishes a state SNAP minimum benefit program to provide a minimum amount of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits that is higher than the amount of federal SNAP benefits.

Relates to first responders, including correction officers, coming into contact with saliva by spitting, throwing, tossing, or expelling from or by an individual.