Asm. Jo Anne Simon

Maddy summaryThis bill requires utility companies and contractors to provide detailed electronic records identifying pole attachments, including equipment owners, contractors, work dates, and safety compliance details. It creates an online public complaint system for reporting unsafe attachments, equipment hazards, or violations of safety standards like the National Electrical Safety Code. The commission must investigate complaints within two weeks and can issue fines up to $20,000 for first violations, $50,000 for second violations, or stop-work orders for third violations. The law directly affects utility providers, telecom companies, and contractors working on utility poles, aiming to improve public safety and accountability through standardized reporting and enforcement.

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's social services law to ensure school-based health center services remain outside managed care programs for medical assistance recipients (e.g., Medicaid beneficiaries). It specifically prohibits these services from being provided through managed care plans, requiring them to continue being delivered directly outside such programs. The policy change directly affects students receiving medical assistance who use school health centers for care, maintaining their access to these services without managed care restrictions. The bill takes effect April 1, 2025, and amends existing law without creating new programs.

Enacts the "public renewables transparency act"; relates to the New York power authority's conferral process; requires the conferral report be posted on the authority's website; provides that the authority shall provide an option for stakeholders to submit comments remotely as well, and incorporate feedback from such sessions and written comments into the final draft of the strategic plan; makes related provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the "Responsible AI Safety and Education Act" (RAISE Act), regulates large artificial intelligence (AI) developers who train or use "frontier models" - defined as models requiring over $100 million in computing costs or 10^26 computational operations. It directly affects commercial AI companies (excluding academic researchers) by requiring them to implement safety protocols, conduct risk testing, and report incidents like unauthorized model access or misuse. Key provisions mandate documented safety measures to prevent "critical harm" (defined as serious injury to 100+ people or $1 billion+ in property damage), with remedies for violations. The law also creates specific definitions for terms like "frontier model," "safety incident," and "knowledge distillation" (modified AI models), ensuring clarity for compliance.

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 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.

Relates to providing information to patients and the public on hospital rule-based exclusions; requires the commissioner of health to collect from each hospital a list of its hospital rule-based exclusions and publish such information on the department's website.

Authorizes the use of an electronic signature by a person granted a power of attorney by a taxpayer with respect to documents submitted to the New York state department of taxation and finance and the New York city department of finance.