Rep. Phil Ramos

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York State to make burial records for former patients interred at state mental health hospital cemeteries freely available to the public. It mandates that records include name, birth/death dates, burial location, military service details, and family relationships, with no fees charged for access. The law also requires maintaining public cemetery maps, posting informational signs at cemeteries, and permanently preserving all burial records - including those for historical institutions like Utica State Hospital and Willard Asylum. These records are explicitly separated from clinical patient files under the law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires towns and villages to adopt a local law if they want to mandate that their justices (who handle minor civil and criminal cases) must be licensed attorneys admitted to practice law in New York. It does not impose this requirement statewide; instead, it allows each town or village to decide by majority vote of its governing body whether to adopt the requirement. If adopted, the change would take effect at the start of the next judicial term following the election after the local law is passed. The bill sets a clear, concrete policy change for local justice eligibility but leaves implementation entirely to individual municipalities.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 9571) increases family leave benefits under New York's workers' compensation law, directly affecting eligible employees taking leave for medical care, bonding with a newborn, or military family exigencies. It gradually raises weekly benefit percentages (from 50% to 67% of average weekly wage) and extends maximum leave duration (from 8 to 12 weeks) over time, with specific phased-in dates starting in 2018. Covered employers must provide these enhanced benefits while maintaining health insurance coverage during leave. The changes apply to employees meeting eligibility criteria under the law, with the Superintendent of Financial Services retaining limited authority to delay increases.

Establishes the "jobs and housing act"; directs the private housing finance agency to develop and administer a jobs and housing pilot program to construct and preserve housing, including workforce housing, that is affordable to low and moderate income persons, and creates jobs for those who build and work in such housing.

Maddy summaryThis resolution welcomes members of the Rohna Survivors Memorial Association to the New York State Capitol on May 12, 2026, and pays tribute to Robert Firstman, the last known survivor of the HMT Rohna tragedy. The bill honors the group's mission to preserve the history of the 1943 attack that killed over 1,000 American servicemembers and recognizes Firstman's service as a Morse Code specialist who survived the sinking at age 19. During their visit, the association plans to screen a documentary about the event, which the resolution supports by acknowledging the organization's efforts to educate the public and keep the memory of the victims alive. The measure concludes by directing that copies of the resolution be sent to the association and Firstman's family.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain offenses, replacing them with judicial discretion to determine appropriate sentences based on individual circumstances. It requires courts to provide written explanations for sentencing decisions and mandates that pre-sentence reports include analysis of incarceration costs to the state. Defendants gain expanded access to pre-sentence reports used in sentencing decisions, and judges must consider rehabilitation and community safety goals rather than fixed minimum terms. The law applies to felony sentencing under New York's penal and criminal procedure laws, directly affecting judges, defendants, and the state correctional system.

Relates to the convening of a human services employee wage board; requires the commissioner of labor to convene a human services employee wage board comprised of twelve members; requires the wage board to hold hearings and report and make recommendations to the governor and legislature no later than December 31, 2027.

Requires a board of elections in a county with over ten thousand active registered voters to employ a minimum of four full-time employees which may include the commissioner and deputies if such positions are full time.

Requires the secretary of state to develop and mandate training of police department personnel and state police officers on the protocols of the address confidentiality program.

Prohibits the use of intoxication of the victim as a defense in sex crimes where the victim is under the influence of any drug, intoxicant, or other substance to a degree which rendered the victim temporarily incapable of appraising or controlling such person's conduct and such condition was known or reasonably should have been known to a person in the actor's situation.