Asm. Jo Anne Simon

Maddy summaryThis bill creates an independent office of chief medical examiner within the Department of Corrections, staffed by medically qualified professionals (doctors with forensic pathology certification and death investigation experience). It requires the office to conduct independent autopsies and investigations for all deaths in correctional facilities, collect detailed data on each death, and publish public annual reports including cause, manner, and demographic details of incarcerated individuals who died. The office must also issue preliminary death reports within 90 days of an incident and share all reports with district attorneys, the attorney general, and the legislature. This directly affects all individuals incarcerated in state correctional facilities by establishing standardized, transparent oversight of death investigations.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a 9-member task force within New York's Office of Mental Health to study how elderly residents in community mental health housing can "age in place" while receiving proper care. The task force will examine specific barriers, including integrating mental and medical care, making housing ADA-compliant, training staff on elderly needs, and improving transportation for medical appointments. It must issue a report with recommendations to the governor and legislature within 12 months, after which the task force automatically expires. The bill directly affects elderly residents in state-funded mental health housing programs and aims to improve their care coordination and living conditions.

Prohibits governmental entities from entering into agreements to house individuals in immigration detention facilities; requires governmental entities to terminate existing contracts for the detention of individuals in immigration detention facilities.

Establishes the Marshall plan for moms interagency task force to examine, issue proposals and make recommendations on multiple policy areas to address the disproportionate burden mothers have weathered from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enacts the "PFAS discharge disclosure act"; requires certain SPDES permit holders to conduct PFAS monitoring and disclose the results from such monitoring.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York's Office of Mental Health to create rules for releasing patient records after a person's death. It allows family members, legal representatives, or healthcare providers involved in the person's care to access these records upon written request, while respecting any prior expressed wishes of the deceased. The rules must follow federal privacy laws (HIPAA) and define "family member" for treatment-related requests. It applies directly to families of deceased residents in mental health facilities and the Office of Mental Health, overriding some existing privacy restrictions. The bill does not change current rules for living patients' records.

Removes the exclusion of part-time employees from certain definitions relating to employment and expanding the definition of employer; removes certain exclusions for employer notice requirements for the closing of a facility; removes the discretionary reduction of penalties for employers for certain acts or omissions concerning notice requirements for mass layoffs, relocations or employment loss; removes the maximum time period for determining back pay and other liabilities for certain employees who experience employment loss; allows the attorney general to take certain action to assist certain employees in receiving back pay and other liabilities; requires employers to pay severance to employees when there is a plant closing, relocation, or mass layoff.

Establishes a duty to inform certain patients about the risks associated with cesarean section for patients undergoing a planned or unplanned primary cesarean section.

Includes positive rental payment information reporting as a preference in the evaluation of project applications in the New York state low income housing tax credit program; requires landlords to offer tenants the option of positive rental payment information reporting; creates notice requirements for the election of positive rental payment information reporting.

Maddy summaryThis bill permits individuals receiving hospice services to enroll in managed long-term care plans without being forced to disenroll. It specifically prevents Medicare or Medicaid hospice enrollment from making someone ineligible for these plans, ensuring continued access to coordinated care. The bill requires managed care plans and hospice programs to coordinate services through shared care planning, clear communication protocols, and information sharing (while respecting privacy laws). New standards for care coordination must be established by the health department, with guidance issued to providers. This directly affects hospice patients, managed care plans, and local social services districts in New York.