Asm. Latrice Walker

Maddy summaryThis bill requires state correctional facilities to provide incarcerated individuals with free voice communication services, including calls made to and from their families or legal representatives. The legislation mandates that these services cannot be replaced by in-person visit programs and prohibits facilities from generating revenue from communication services. It also ensures that existing contracts for communication services must end by March 31, 2026, while new contracts are subject to the free service requirement starting April 1, 2026.

Relates to motor vehicle insurance fairness; provides that insurance rates shall not be increased based on certain factors; sets forth processes for motor vehicle insurers to have rate increases approved; allows public access in relation to any proposed insurance rate increases; allows members of the public to request permission to intervene in proceedings related to rate increases; directs rules and regulations to be established.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires sellers to provide lead-based paint test reports to buyers before selling residential properties built before 1978. It directly affects home sellers, buyers, and real estate agents in New York for properties constructed prior to 1978, which are most likely to contain lead paint. The key mechanism mandates a one-time inspection and disclosure of test results before title transfer, with reports added to a state registry for future buyers. This complements existing laws by standardizing disclosure across all residential sales, not just rentals, ensuring buyers receive clear information about potential lead hazards. The law does not replace buyer due diligence or existing seller responsibilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates how New York State calculates payment rates for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), which provide primary care in underserved communities. It changes the rate calculation method: through 2025, rates use the Medicare Economic Index, and after 2025, they use a federal cost adjustment formula (FQHC Market Basket inflator) adjusted for service scope. The state health department must analyze actual FQHC costs every three years starting in 2025 to set updated rates, ensuring payments reflect real costs while guaranteeing no facility receives a rate lower than the 2025 level. This directly affects FQHCs by potentially increasing their state-funded payments based on verified operational expenses.

Establishes the "clean fuel standard of 2026"; provides such standard is intended to reduce greenhouse gas intensity from the on-road transportation sector, with further reductions to be implemented based upon advances in technology.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the legal definition of a "victim of a sexual offense" in New York State to explicitly include individuals harmed by the unlawful dissemination or publication of intimate images. It amends Section 108 of the Executive Law to add this new category to the existing definition, which previously covered offenses under specific Penal Law sections. The change directly affects people whose intimate images are shared without consent, ensuring they are recognized under the same legal framework as victims of other sexual offenses. This is a definitional update, not a new criminal penalty, and applies to all cases falling under the revised definition.

Expands the eligibility period for indigent legal service attorneys to receive certain loan forgiveness; increases loan reimbursement for certain attorneys who work in legal services with indigent clients.

Clarifies that individuals have the ability to vote by absentee ballot in certain elections if they are not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction.

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.

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.