Asm. Maritza Davila

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the use of leg-gripping traps (traps that clamp onto an animal's leg with teeth or excessive jaw spread) for trapping wildlife in New York State. It directly affects trappers, wildlife managers, and anyone using traps for hunting or pest control. Key provisions ban traps with jaw spreads exceeding 7¼ inches in water during beaver/otter season or 5¾ inches otherwise, require traps on land to be covered and equipped with safety devices, and forbid traps that suspend wildlife. The law amends existing environmental conservation statutes to implement these specific restrictions.

Relates to criteria for certification by the division of minority and women's business development of MWBE status; replaces the personal net worth limitation with a requirement that a business have been awarded contracts by one or more agencies within the past three years where the total state funding received by the enterprise from the expense and capital budgets for such contracts was equal to or greater than sixty million dollars.

Relates to tax lien foreclosure; establishes senior, disabled, and veteran homeowner real property tax assistance program; establishes installment plans for certain real property taxes.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 4742) allows either an injured worker or an employer to request a hearing in a workers' compensation claim. It requires the board to schedule such hearings within 45 days of the request, without imposing limits, fees, or penalties on either party. The bill also mandates that the board keep accurate records of all hearings and imposes penalties ($25 to a fund + $75 to the worker) if employers delay proceedings through tactics like failing to appear or produce evidence. It directly affects workers seeking compensation and employers facing claims.

Deems home instruction which is compliant with the provisions of article 65 of the education law and the home instruction requirements prescribed in the commissioner of education's regulations to be substantially equivalent in amount and quality to the instruction given to students of like age and attainments at the public schools of the city or district where the student resides.

Provides that certain communications made without malice regarding an incident of sexual assault, harassment or discrimination shall be deemed privileged; provides that a prevailing defendant in an action brought against such defendant for making a communication that is privileged shall be entitled to attorney's fees and costs for such defense.

Establishes a private right of action for tenants alleging a failure to keep and maintain self-closing doors; allows for a court to award compensatory damages, reasonable attorney's fees and court costs and issue an order to the owner of the building to remedy any issue with such doors.

Requires automated external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at school-sponsored events; requires school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, county vocational education and extension boards and charter schools to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan.

Authorizes the empire state development corporation to retain one or more independent MWBE consultant firms to conduct an independent review of procurement procedures utilized by state agencies.

Provides that for a substance use disorder outpatient treatment episode of care by a provider licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office of addiction services and supports, an insured shall only be responsible for a cost sharing fee not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars.