Asm. Jo Anne Simon

Relates to youth programs sponsored by fire departments; provides that participants may respond to an emergency or hazardous activity, but shall remain in an appropriate and safe designated area that has been established by the chief or officer in charge; provides such participants cannot respond to an emergency on a vehicle using lights and/or sirens; provides such participants may not enter a burning structure; protects volunteer fire departments and fire companies from certain criminal and civil liability potentially arising from the operation of a youth program.

Relates to the use of automated lending decision-making tools by banks for the purposes of making lending decisions; allows loan applicants to consent to or opt out of such use.

Provides additional protections for sensitive health information; requires all health information networks, electronic health record systems, and health care providers to provide patients with a right to restrict the disclosures of such patient's health information; defines terms; provides for exceptions.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's vehicle safety inspection law to explicitly require inspections of a vehicle's muffler and exhaust system during routine safety checks. It directly affects vehicle owners who need to pass these inspections to register or renew their vehicle registration. The key mechanism adds "muffler or exhaust system" to the list of components already inspected under the law, alongside brakes, lights, and tires. This change updates existing inspection criteria without creating new requirements or changing inspection frequency.

Waives the state's sovereign immunity in state and federal courts with regard to liability for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act; waives the immunity of all instrumentalities and political subdivisions of the state.

Requires health care plans and payors to have a minimum of twelve and one-half percent of their total expenditures on physical and mental health annually be for primary care services.

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.

Prohibits public employers from diminishing health insurance benefits provided to Medicare-eligible retirees and their Medicare-eligible dependents or the contributions such employer makes for such health insurance coverage below the level of such benefits or contributions made on behalf of such retirees and dependents by the public employer as of December 31, 2021.

Requires food service establishments to permit the use of reusable beverage and food containers provided by customers when requesting a beverage refill or requesting leftovers from a partially consumed meal to be packaged and post signs to inform customers that they are permitted to do so.

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; makes related provisions.