Asm. Phara Souffrant Forrest

Maddy summaryThis bill requires consumer debt collectors operating in New York to obtain a license from the superintendent, with key provisions including minimum industry standards, a financial guarantee (surety bond), and strict rules against deceptive practices. It directly affects businesses that regularly collect debts owed by individuals for personal, family, or household expenses (like credit card or medical debt), excluding banks, attorneys, and certain non-profits. The law establishes penalties for violations and prohibits unlicensed activity, while exempting entities like creditors collecting their own debts and licensed financial institutions. It aims to protect consumers from abusive collection tactics by creating a regulated framework for debt collection businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new civil lawsuit pathway for individuals whose constitutional or federal rights were violated by government actors (such as police, courts, or public officials). It allows victims to sue for damages and court-ordered remedies, removes common defenses like "I thought it was legal," and requires courts to award attorney fees to winning plaintiffs - even if the case settles without a formal judgment. Public entities (like cities or state agencies) must cover their employees' legal costs if sued under this law, and lawsuits must be filed within three years of the violation. It directly affects people harmed by government overreach, ensuring they have a clear legal route to seek redress for rights violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 6192) establishes a 5-year moratorium on the land application, sale, and distribution of biosolids and products containing them for agricultural or landscaping use (like fertilizer or soil amendment). It directly affects wastewater treatment facilities, farmers, and businesses using biosolids-derived products, banning their use on crops, parks, golf courses, and similar non-crop lands. The moratorium excludes landfill disposal of biosolids and certain composts made from food waste, manure, or crop residues (not biosolids). Violations carry fines up to $2,500 per offense plus daily penalties.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 2111) amends New York's mental hygiene law to require suicide prevention hotline centers to provide culturally competent care specifically for individuals in the perinatal period (the time surrounding pregnancy and childbirth). It adds "individuals currently in the perinatal period" to a list of protected populations that hotlines must serve, alongside groups like veterans, people of color, and those experiencing homelessness. The key mechanism is expanding existing requirements for training and policies to ensure hotlines meet the needs of perinatal individuals. This policy change directly affects New York's designated suicide prevention hotline centers by mandating specific service standards for this population.

Relates to the tolling of statute of limitations for individuals in state custody; provides that with respect to state action brought by anyone to recover damages for physical, psychological, or other injury or condition suffered while in state custody, the time in which such action must commence shall be extended to three years after such person is released from such custody.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an independent agency to handle complaints from current and converted Mitchell-Lama residents regarding issues like rent increases, harassment, or unsafe living conditions. It requires state and city housing agencies to verify financial documentation before approving rent hikes or building conversions, and mandates comptroller approval for all rent increases based on verified expenses. The bill also guarantees legal support for tenants in housing court and creates a specialized help desk for self-represented litigants. These changes directly affect Mitchell-Lama residents, building owners, co-op boards, and state/local housing agencies overseeing affordable housing.

Requires the metropolitan transportation authority to publish certain information pertaining to capital project data for projects that are committed for construction on the capital program dashboard maintained by the authority on the authority's website; requires sources of funding to be specified.

Enacts the "New York city teleworking expansion act"; provides that each agency shall establish a policy and program to allow employees to perform all or a portion of their duties through teleworking to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance; defines the term "telework" to mean to perform normal and regular work functions on a workday that ordinarily would be performed at the agency's principal location at a different location, thereby eliminating or substantially reducing the physical commute to and from such agency's principal location.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a legal right to counsel for eligible immigrants in New York during immigration proceedings. It applies to income-eligible non-citizens or those with significant New York ties (like residents or cases tied to NY courts) facing removal or detention under federal immigration law. The New York State Office for New Americans will administer the program, providing initial consultations and ongoing legal representation starting when a case begins (e.g., upon receiving a "Notice to Appear") and continuing until the case concludes. Legal services must be offered regardless of the proceeding's location, including federal immigration courts outside New York.

Relates to establishing the housing access voucher program; provides that the commissioner of the division of housing and community renewal shall implement a program of rental assistance in the form of housing vouchers for eligible individuals and families who are homeless or who face an imminent loss of housing; provides that the commissioner shall designate housing access voucher local administrators in the state to administer the program.