Asm. Jo Anne Simon

Establishes confirmatory adoptions providing for the adoption of children born as a result of assisted reproduction; allows for more than two persons to be named parents of a child; establishes presumed parentage and provides for the challenge and adjudication thereof; repeals certain provisions relating thereto.

Requires school districts to have diversity, equity and inclusion officers to develop methods to diversify the personnel of the school district and to recommend changes to district policies and practices to reduce racial disparities in hiring school district employees, particularly teachers; requires boards of education to annually report information regarding such policies and practices to the department of education; requires the department of education to annually report such information to the legislature.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New York's process for certifying voting machines and the terms of their purchase contracts. Vendors must pay a fee for the state board of elections to examine machines, which must meet safety and technical standards - including thorough testing of electronic features - before approval. Contracts for approved machines now require vendors to guarantee at least ten years of free maintenance, service, and training for election officials, replacing a previous five-year requirement. These changes directly affect voting machine companies, the state election board, and local election jurisdictions that must use certified equipment.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates rules for when construction projects must pay local prevailing wages. It applies to projects using at least 20% public funds (or $3 million/$5 million in public funds) for construction costs. Exemptions include single-family homes, small nonprofits, and certain affordable housing developments meeting specific affordability requirements. This affects contractors and developers working on qualifying projects funded in part by public money.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the state commission of correction from 3 to 9 members. It specifies that 3 members are appointed by the governor (with Senate confirmation), 2 by the Assembly speaker, 2 by the Senate Temporary President, and 2 by the Correctional Association. The commission must now include at least one person formerly incarcerated in a New York correctional facility, a public health professional, a behavioral healthcare professional, an attorney with criminal defense or prisoner rights expertise, and others deemed beneficial. The bill also sets term lengths and removal procedures for commission members.

Relates to the exercise of powers and duties of the board of elections of the city of New York and its executive management; provides for equal representation among certain employees of the board of elections; relates to qualification and removal of certain employees of the board of elections.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts certain graduate students from mandatory university fees starting January 1, 2027. It directly affects graduate students working as teaching assistants, research assistants, or similar roles (including adjunct instructors and lab technicians) who serve full-time or half-time appointments. The exemption covers all mandatory fees except the graduate student association's student activities fee. The law takes effect immediately upon passage, changing how these students pay fees related to their university enrollment.

Relates to the procedure for filling a vacancy in the office of state senator or in the office of member of assembly occurring in a district consisting of parts of more than one county in a city with a population of one million or more; allows for independent nominating petitions to be presented and provides for a special election to be held forty-five days from the date of the governor making a proclamation for a special election.

Requires ice skating rinks maintain a certain indoor air quality and maintain a certificate of acceptable air quality where a resurfacing machine is used.

Establishes the green affordable pre-electrification program to assist owners and tenants in residential properties in curing structural and building code defects which render the properties ineligible for improvements or projects relating to energy savings, green-house gas emissions reductions, climate change adaptation and resiliency project grants; establishes the energy efficiency and electrification interagency coordination group to coordinate between certain energy efficiency programs.