Directs the state commission of correction to promulgate rules and regulations for strip searches in correctional facilities which at a minimum include a requirement that no fewer than two staff members shall be present for any strip search.
Sponsored bills
Establishes the "Safe Staffing for Hospital Care Act"; establishes minimum staffing levels for various health care workers in different health care facilities; requires submission of staffing plans; prohibits most mandatory overtime.
Maddy summaryThis bill changes New York's parole process by requiring the state board of parole to consider specific factors before granting release. It mandates evaluation of rehabilitation efforts (like programs, therapy, and work assignments), release plans (including housing, jobs, and support services), and deportation status, while prohibiting decisions based mainly on victim statements or prior criminal records. Parole denials must include detailed written explanations, and the board must report quarterly to lawmakers with demographic data on denied cases (excluding individual identities). These changes aim to standardize parole decisions and increase transparency.
Establishes a career explorations class to integrate academic and vocational education, link secondary and post-secondary education and provide learning activities and mentoring at the work site; provides students with school-based learning and work-based learning.
Includes bonus in the definition of wages for purposes of the labor law when the formula under which a bonus is determined is available to the employer or when the amount of a bonus has been declared; relates to the forfeit of wages.
Requires the department of health to review claims for expenditures for early and periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment and other health services, care and supplies which are furnished to eligible children and pre-school children regardless of whether such children have handicapping conditions, are suspected of having handicapping conditions or have an individualized education plan; requires the department of health to apply for all necessary federal approvals regarding such expenditures.
Relates to requirements for a building owner to refuse to renew a lease under the real estate industry stabilization code; requires the owner of a building to be demolished to prove that such owner has the financial ability to complete demolition of the building.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new role for court-appointed advocates to represent animals' interests in legal cases involving animal welfare, such as cruelty or neglect proceedings. Courts may appoint these advocates from a list maintained by the chief judge, who would monitor cases, access relevant records (like veterinary or animal control reports), and provide the court with recommendations based on the animal's well-being. The advocate cannot subpoena evidence or conduct discovery but may attend hearings and share information with attorneys. This directly affects animals in legal cases and requires courts to implement this process when requested or initiated.
Enacts the "voting integrity and verification act of New York (VIVA NY)"; provides that each voter is entitled to the use of an individual, voter verifiable paper ballot of the voter's vote and the opportunity to mark it.
Enacts the PTSD awareness and rehabilitation act to require PTSD screening, provide trauma-informed education, and implement evidence-based rehabilitation programs to ensure incarcerated individuals receive proper support for mental health challenges.