Asm. Stefani Zinerman

Prohibits public employers from diminishing health insurance benefits provided to retirees and their 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.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends state laws to strengthen penalties for promoting animal fighting by clearly defining prohibited activities and equipment. It establishes three tiers of criminal offenses based on the severity of involvement, ranging from possessing fighting paraphernalia to training or breeding animals specifically for combat. The legislation creates new felony charges for large-scale operations involving multiple animals and allows courts to impose fines up to $35,000 for the most serious violations. By updating definitions and increasing punishments, the law aims to more effectively deter and punish individuals who organize or facilitate animal fights.

Requires the reporting of certain accidents involving vehicles, including electric scooters and bicycles with electric assist; requires reports to include information indicating whether certain accidents involved electric scooters and bicycles with electric assist.

Requires micromobility devices, mopeds, and bicycles with electric assist to have a red tag attached to the charging cord which states to unplug when not in use.

Establishes the universal stop false police reporting act which establishes the crimes of aggravated falsely reporting an incident in the first, second, and third degrees when a person commits the crime of falsely reporting an incident in the first, second, or third degree and such person intended to harass, annoy, threaten, or alarm another person because of a believe or perception regarding a person's race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or ethnicity; authorizes officers to arrest persons believed to have committed falsely reporting an incident without first obtaining a warrant; includes such falsely reporting as a hate crime; establishes databases of law enforcement officers and persons convicted of falsely reporting; requires notifying persons of the termination of certain criminal actions or proceedings.

Establishes the clean fuel standard of 2024; 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.

Establishes the climate change adaptation cost recovery program to require companies that have contributed significantly to the buildup of climate-warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to bear a share of the costs of needed infrastructure investments to adapt to climate change; mandates that projects funded by the program require compliance with prevailing wage requirements; requires that contracts for funded projects contain a provision that the structural iron and structural steel used or supplied in the performance of the contract or any subcontract thereto shall be produced or made in whole or substantial part in the United States, its territories or possessions; makes additional provisions; establishes the climate change adaptation fund.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes local election boards to set up secure drop boxes where voters can return their completed absentee ballots in person. It requires these boards to post the locations of the new drop-off sites on their websites and directs the state to create rules ensuring the boxes are secure and properly managed. The law also clarifies that ballots deposited in these boxes before the polls close are considered timely and must be counted, even if they lack a postal service postmark. Additionally, the bill updates the definition of how absentee ballots can be delivered to include depositing them in these authorized receptacles.

Requires the office for people with developmental disabilities to produce and publish a report to assess the staffing and other issues causing the continued displacement of individuals with developmental disabilities from various state-operated institutions under the jurisdiction of the office for people with developmental disabilities.

Prohibits the operation of NYC transit authority subways or trains without at least one conductor on board; requires a conductor on any subway or train operated by such authority whenever the subway or train has more than two cars attached to the engine.