Rep. Jordan Wright

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 bill establishes a uniform priority system for domestic violence survivors applying to public housing. It requires local housing authorities to give these applicants the same waiting list priority as other vulnerable groups (like the disabled, elderly, or homeless) if they either face ongoing domestic violence in their current home or have left due to abuse without stable replacement housing. The bill specifies that among applicants with equal priority status, selection will be based on application date and time. It references the existing legal definition of "victim of domestic violence" from social services law and applies immediately to all new applicants on waiting lists.

Maddy summaryBill A 2619 establishes specific rights for residents and cooperatives in ground lease residential cooperative apartment buildings. Upon the expiration of a ground lease, the cooperative must dissolve, and residents are converted to tenants, with rental leases offered under existing tenant protection laws. The bill also allows cooperatives to encumber their interest in the ground lease, requiring ground lease owners to provide reasonable cause for refusal if consent is needed. Additionally, it grants ground lease residential cooperatives a right of first refusal to purchase the ground lease real property if the owner decides to sell it.

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.

Enacts "Cecilia's act for rights in the sex trades"; decriminalizes certain prostitution offenses; amends provisions relating to prosecution of such offenses and vacating judgments.

Relates to providing information to patients and the public on hospital rule-based exclusions; requires the commissioner of health to collect from each hospital a list of its hospital rule-based exclusions and publish such information on the department's website.

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New York State Bridge Authority to install specialized fencing on all bridges it operates. The fencing must prevent climbing by using features like welded wire mesh panels, tightly spaced wires, and spike collars. It applies to all new bridge construction contracts and mandates installation within three years of the law's effective date. The measure directly affects the Bridge Authority and its contractors, focusing solely on the physical safety requirement without broader policy changes.

Maddy summaryBill A 7467 expands the legal definitions of "sewage" and "sewerage system" for specific water, sewer, and water and sewer authorities. It explicitly includes "stormwater" within these definitions, meaning these authorities will legally manage stormwater as part of their waste and collection systems. The bill also defines "stormwater" as unabsorbed flow from rain or meltwater on the ground or other surfaces. This aims to clarify the responsibilities of these authorities for the collection, conveyance, treatment, and disposal of stormwater.