Asm. William Colton

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits insurance companies from refusing to issue or renew homeowners' or renters' insurance policies, canceling policies, charging higher premiums, or limiting coverage solely because a policyholder owns a specific dog breed or mix of breeds. It directly affects homeowners and renters who might have faced discrimination based on their dog's breed. The key provision requires insurers to base coverage decisions on standard risk factors, not breed alone, for policies defined under New York's insurance law. The law applies to all policies issued or renewed after its effective date.

Requires the New York state thruway authority to submit biannual reports to the legislature of all fiscal transactions, receipts and expenditures, with each report covering activity from the prior six months.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New York state agencies (including departments, public authorities, SUNY, and CUNY) to create and implement waste reduction plans. Agencies must decrease landfill waste by 10% every five years, starting from 2018-2019 baseline levels, aiming for a 75% overall reduction by 2034. Plans must detail strategies for reducing single-use plastics, diverting organics and recyclables, conducting waste audits, and transitioning to dual-stream recycling where feasible. The GreenNY Council will oversee implementation, review progress, and require updated plans every five years. All plans must be publicly posted on the environmental department's website.

Maddy summaryBill A 3729 would provide a 50% exemption from real property taxes on the primary residence of surviving spouses of police officers killed in the line of duty. Local governments would need to pass a law or resolution to implement this exemption, which applies to primary homes including certain cooperative housing arrangements. Eligibility requires proof the officer died while on duty, verified through documentation like death certificates or service records. This policy change directly affects surviving spouses of fallen officers by reducing their property tax burden.

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 clarifies the types of damages that can be recovered in wrongful death lawsuits in New York. It specifically allows survivors to seek compensation for funeral expenses, medical costs related to the injury causing death, grief, loss of financial support/services, and loss of nurture/education. The bill also defines who qualifies as "beneficiaries" (including spouses, domestic partners, and those acting as parents) and specifies how damages must be distributed based on each person's financial losses. These changes update existing law to provide clearer standards for compensation without creating new legal rights.

Requires the department of health to publish a report on the incidence of tick-borne illnesses annually on the department's website; requires the department to submit an annual report to the governor and the leaders of the legislature; requires the superintendent of financial services to review the status of health insurance coverage for the treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne related diseases and to submit a report to the governor and the leaders of the legislature.

Expands the options for shell color and roof color of petroleum bulk storage tanks to either white or beige/cream or which limits volatile emissions to the same or to a greater extent as a shell color and roof color of white or beige/cream as determined by the department of environmental conservation.

Requires the office of children and family services to provide luggage to youth in foster care; provides that such luggage shall be distributed to social services districts for distribution to foster care youth; requires the office of children and family services to submit an annual report to the governor and the legislature about the distribution of luggage to foster care youth.

Prohibits the application of pesticides to certain local freshwater wetlands for local governments that have implemented a freshwater wetlands protection law; provides that any local law or ordinance adopted pursuant to this section shall take effect on the first day of January after it shall have been adopted.