Asm. Rebecca Seawright

Maddy summaryBill A 2266 requires state agencies operating prisons and youth detention facilities to provide incarcerated individuals with free voice communication services (and optionally video or messaging), effective April 1, 2026. It prohibits facilities from charging inmates for these services or generating revenue from them, and mandates that communication services cannot replace in-person visit programs. The bill repeals the existing correction law section on this topic and adds new requirements for agencies managing correctional facilities. This directly affects all people confined in state correctional facilities by guaranteeing free communication access with external contacts.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's executive law to explicitly include veterans in the legal definition of "military status." It expands the existing definition to cover individuals who have been released from military service, ensuring veterans receive the same anti-discrimination protections as active military personnel. The change directly affects veterans in New York who may face discrimination in employment, housing, or other areas governed by laws prohibiting military status discrimination. The key mechanism is a textual update to the definition, adding "a person's participation in the military service... if such person has been released from such service." This creates a clear, concrete policy change without altering existing enforcement mechanisms.

Relates to employment of persons and veterans with disabilities by the state; provides up to five thousand positions may be filled by persons with a physical or mental disability and up to two thousand positions may be filled by disabled veterans and veterans with disabilities.

Requires the commissioner of health to produce a report on the utilization and activity of the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program, including future enrollment and program cost projections, and to publish such report and deliver the report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly.

Provides that the thruway authority shall issue permits for ambulances and fire vehicles exempting such vehicles from paying tolls on the thruway when engaged in an emergency operation.

Expands the definition of veteran to include members of the commissioned corps of the NOAA and the commissioned corps of the public health service; expands access to certain benefits to those who served in the commissioned corps of the NOAA and the commissioned corps of the public health service.

Creates the state office of the utility consumer advocate to represent interests of residential utility customers including a proposed change of rates, charges, terms and conditions of service, the adoption of rules, regulations, guidelines, orders, standards or final policy decisions.

Maddy summaryBill A 1223 sets specific filing deadlines for designating petitions (used by candidates to appear on primary election ballots) for the 2026 primary election cycle. It requires these petitions to be filed between the 13th Monday before and 12th Monday before the primary, and invalidates signatures made earlier than 41 days before the filing deadline or later than the 12th Thursday before the primary. The bill applies directly to candidates and petition organizers preparing for the 2026 primary elections. It is temporary, taking effect January 1, 2026, and automatically expiring December 31, 2026, after which the previous filing rules would resume.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 16-member task force within New York's Department of Labor to address unemployment among people with disabilities. The task force, including representatives from state agencies, disability organizations, labor, business, and people with disabilities themselves, will study employment barriers and review successful programs. Its key duties include developing strategies to increase competitive integrated employment (meaningful jobs in regular workplaces), ensuring state agencies model inclusive hiring, and making recommendations within two years. The task force must report annually to the governor and legislature, with findings made publicly available online. This directly affects state agencies, employers, and people with disabilities seeking meaningful work opportunities.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New York to issue new birth certificates for individuals adopted from other countries under specific conditions. It requires adoptive parents or adoptees to submit proof of New York residency, certified foreign adoption documents with translations, evidence of birth details, and proof of immigrant visa status (like IR-3/IR-4). The law applies retroactively, meaning people adopted before this law took effect can now apply for these certificates. It directly affects foreign-born adoptees in New York who lack a New York-issued birth record.