Asm. Harvey Epstein

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all public secondary schools in the state to include humane education about animal treatment, protection, and ecological roles in their curriculum. It specifically mandates instruction on kindness toward animals, respect for animal welfare laws, and managing animal overpopulation. Schools must verify compliance with these requirements, and the state education commissioner will maintain public records of this verification. Schools failing to provide this instruction risk losing public funding for those grades.

Maddy summaryThis New York State bill (A 2582) creates a state-funded system to provide support services for unaccompanied minors (children under 18 with no lawful U.S. immigration status who entered without parents/guardians or were separated from them). It mandates free legal representation in immigration court, health services, counseling, school enrollment assistance, and trauma-informed care - delivered through an immigration services liaison. The bill requires multilingual informational materials and ensures services won't affect immigration status under federal law. It directly affects minors in New York's custody or care who face federal immigration proceedings.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a tax credit for businesses that recycle bivalve mollusk shells (like oyster and clam shells). Taxpayers can claim a credit of up to $1,000 or 10 cents per pound of certified shells donated to DEC-permitted organizations for oyster reef restoration. The credit applies to taxable years starting January 1, 2025, and cannot reduce taxes below the minimum required amount. It directly affects businesses recycling shells who partner with DEC-approved groups restoring coastal habitats.

Requires fashion sellers to carry out environmental due diligence for the portions of their business related to wearing apparel, footwear or fashion bags, including wearing apparel, footwear or fashion bags produced as a private label; establishes a fashion remediation fund.

Expands the solar energy system equipment tax credit to cover solar energy system equipment installed in a community solar array; defines "community solar array" to mean a location other than a person's principal residence where solar energy system equipment is owned and installed for use in such person's principal residence.

Expands protections regarding violations of safety conditions in adult care facilities; provides penalties for safety violations and operating without a valid license; prohibits reductions in fines in certain circumstances where a patient is endangered or harmed.

Enacts the "crash victims bill of rights"; requires accident reports to be delivered to victims of accidents or their next of kin; requires victim impact statements to be delivered at traffic infraction hearings by injured parties or their next of kin; requires employers to grant leave of absence to employees delivering a victim impact statement at a traffic infraction hearing; directs the superintendent of financial services to conduct a study and complete a report on certain automobile crash information.

Relates to the amount of state aid reimbursement for public health services by a municipality in the city of New York when the municipality is providing some or all of certain identified core public health services.

Relates to determinations of appropriate educational programs for certain students in a school district in a city having a population of one million or more.

Requires public agencies to establish preliminary license application procedures to determine whether an applicant for a license would be ineligible for such license based on criminal history; establishes time frames for public agencies to respond to such applications; requires public agencies to report information regarding granting licenses annually.