Asm. Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts certain harmful chemicals in menstrual products sold in New York State. It prohibits manufacturers from intentionally adding specific substances like lead, mercury, formaldehyde, phthalates, and PFAS (a class of chemicals including Teflon-like compounds) to products such as tampons, pads, and menstrual cups. Starting immediately upon the bill's effective date (12 months after enactment), these chemicals cannot be added as intentional ingredients, with future safety thresholds for remaining traces to be set by health and environmental agencies by 2029. The law applies to all distributors and sellers of menstrual products within New York.

Authorizes the commissioner of health to adopt policies to exclude certain non-recurring items from income that would artificially inflate the availability of funds to meet current needs relating to eligibility for the program for elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage.

Provides for the protection of health information; establishes requirements for communications to individuals about their health information; requires either written consent or a designated necessary purpose for the processing of an individual's health information.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York state-owned parking facilities with at least 50 spaces to install electric vehicle charging stations in a percentage of spots ranging from 10% to 20%, depending on the facility's total size. The Office of General Services is tasked with installing and maintaining these stations, which must meet specific electrical capacity standards, and is authorized to hire licensed electricians if upgrades to the power system are needed. The law applies to public, employee, and pay-per-use parking areas and would have taken effect on April 1 of the following year. However, the bill was vetoed by the Governor in December 2024 and subsequently tabled, meaning it did not become law.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the laws governing wrongful death lawsuits to clarify exactly what types of money can be awarded to the surviving family members of a deceased person. It explicitly allows juries or courts to grant compensation for funeral costs, medical bills incurred before death, grief, and the loss of financial support, guidance, and companionship. The legislation also defines who is eligible to receive these damages, including spouses, domestic partners, children, parents, and individuals who stood in a parent-like role to the deceased. Additionally, the bill sets specific rules for how the awarded money must be shared among eligible survivors based on their individual losses and outlines how legal fees and other expenses are handled.

Enacts the tropical rainforest economic & environmental sustainability act requiring that companies contracting with the state do not contribute to tropical forest degradation or deforestation directly or through their supply chains; establishes the supply chain transparency assistance program to assist small and medium-sized businesses and minority and women-owned businesses in achieving compliant supply chains.

Maddy summaryThis New York law prohibits businesses from using social media platforms to collect debts from consumers. It defines a social media platform as a service that allows users to create profiles, connect with others, and share content, while excluding simple email or direct messaging tools. The bill aims to stop companies from posting debt notices on public feeds or sending harassing messages through social networks. Once signed into law, this rule immediately applies to all debt collection activities involving these digital services within the state.

Expands the definition of mental health care provider to include licensed mental health counselors and licensed marriage and family therapists, for purposes of certain sex offenses committed during a treatment session, consultation, interview, or examination.

Enacts the "gender identity respect, dignity and safety act"; relates to the treatment and placement of incarcerated individuals based upon gender identity; requires that incarcerated individuals in state and local correctional facilities who have a gender identity different from their assigned sex at birth be addressed and have access to commissary items, clothing and other materials that are consistent with the person's gender identity; establishes that incarcerated individuals shall be presumptively placed in a correctional facility with persons of the gender that most closely aligns with such person's self-attested gender identity unless the person opts out of such placement.

Provides an option for beneficiaries of NYC transit authority members to receive a lump sum equal to the pension reserve where a member who is eligible for a service retirement dies prior to filing for retirement.