Asm. Harvey Epstein

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.

Relates to eligibility for the temporary assistance to needy families block grant program, safety net assistance and medical assistance for certain noncitizens.

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.

Includes a police or peace officer turning off their body camera or deleting a body camera recording in the crime of tampering with physical evidence and obstructing governmental administration.

Establishes a mandatory statewide, classroom-based water safety education program; provides that the commissioner of education shall work with New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance certified educators to develop and promulgate a statewide, age-appropriate, classroom-based water safety education guidance document; provides that within twenty-four months of the effective date of the bill, the department of education shall initiate statewide implementation of water safety education; provides that instruction shall be classroom-based and waterless and shall not require student access to aquatic facilities, swimming instruction, or in-water assessment.

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.

Enacts the "PFAS discharge disclosure act"; requires certain SPDES permit holders to conduct PFAS monitoring and disclose the results from such monitoring.

Establishes a duty to inform certain patients about the risks associated with cesarean section for patients undergoing a planned or unplanned primary cesarean section.

Eliminates certain court surcharges and fees and probation and parole surcharges and fees; eliminates the requirement that a parolee or releasee receiving a merit termination of sentence be financially able to comply with an order of restitution; eliminates the requirement that a person receiving a discharge of sentence be financially able to comply with an order of restitution and the payment of certain surcharges or fees (Part A); mandates that courts engage in an individualized assessment of a person's financial ability to pay a fine prior to imposing a fine (Part B); eliminates the availability of incarceration as a remedy for a failure to pay a fine, surcharge, or fee, lifts and vacates existing warrants issued solely on a person's failure to timely pay a fine, surcharge or fee and ends existing sentences of incarceration based on such failure (Part C); vacates existing unsatisfied civil judgments based on a person's failure to timely pay a surcharge, or fee (Part D); prohibits the collection of a fine, restitution or reparation from the funds of an incarcerated person; prohibits the payment of court fines, mandatory surcharges, certain fees, restitution, reparation or forfeitures from the earnings of prisoners (Part E); vacates existing unpaid surcharges, DNA databank fees, crime victim assistance fees, sexual offender registration fees, supplemental sex offender victim fees, or probation or parole supervision fees; repeals certain provisions of law relating to restrictions on remitting such fees (Part F).

Requires training for teachers, administrators and instructors in the area of mental health response; requires office of mental health to assist in development of curriculum for training.