Asm. William Colton

Provides that certain purchase contracts to purchase food can be awarded to a qualified bidder who fulfills certain values based procurement standards when such bid is not more than 10% higher than the lowest responsible bidder and when the bidder makes publicly available data on where such bidder sources their food items; sets forth the criteria for values based procurement standards to include local economies, environmental sustainability, racial equity, valued workforce, animal welfare, and nutrition.

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 social media companies to post terms of service for each social media platform owned or operated by the company in a manner reasonably designed to inform all users of the social media platform of the existence and contents of the terms of service; requires social media companies to submit to the attorney general certain terms of service reports; provides remedies for violations.

Adds a person with a disability who has their primary residence in a special needs trust, or a property owner who has a tenant with a disability whose lease provides them with a life interest in the property as long as the tenant remains in residence as eligible for a real property tax exemption pursuant to section 459-c of the real property tax law.

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.

Relates to rechargeable battery recycling; adds a battery used as the principal electric power source for an electric scooter or bicycle with electric assist to the definition of "rechargeable battery"; provides that a battery manufacturer may not sell, offer for sale, or distribute rechargeable batteries in the state unless the battery manufacturer is implementing or participating under an approved plan; allows a city with a population of one million or more to enforce through its own agencies.

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.

Establishes the "New York state lead-safe renovation, repair and painting act"; establishes standards for lead-safe renovation, repair and painting of residential properties; requires documentation of compliance with such standards.