Asm. Jeffrey Dinowitz

Maddy summaryThis bill mandates that all public and private schools in the state include instruction on the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and its aftermath as part of required civic education courses. It affects all students over age eight in the state's schools by requiring teachers to cover this event alongside other historical topics like slavery, the Holocaust, and human rights issues. The law directs education regents to develop curriculum guidelines and authorizes school commissioners to enforce compliance, including withholding funding for noncompliance. The policy requires schools to integrate this topic into existing civic education frameworks without specifying teaching methods or materials.

Establishes an LGBTQ+ youth and young adult suicide prevention task force; provides for the number of members, manner of appointment and the topics to be reviewed.

Relates to the ability of a fare-paying passenger in a transportation network company vehicle and the driver of such vehicle to consent to sexual activity inside such vehicle.

Authorizes the department of health to establish a program for familial dysautonomia, Canavan's and Tay-Sachs disease screening and counseling and to provide grants and to enter into contracts with public and non-profit private entities to assist in such program; provides that participation in such program shall be voluntary and all information shall be confidential.

Allows pharmacies to store medication in automated dispensing machines if a contractual agreement is in place with a nursing home or healthcare facility at such facility for the residents.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases criminal penalties for damaging property or stealing items at religious worship sites and cemeteries. It makes damaging religious items (like scrolls, vestments, or religious symbols) at churches, synagogues, or religious museums a class D felony, and upgrades cemetery vandalism or theft (e.g., headstones, monuments) to higher felony levels based on value. Offenders face harsher punishments for targeting these specific locations, including theft exceeding $250 at cemeteries or damage exceeding $2,000 at religious sites. The law directly affects individuals who commit these acts at protected locations, with penalties now reflecting the heightened seriousness of targeting sacred or memorial spaces.

Eliminates the ability of judicial candidates for office who are enrolled in a particular party to automatically be allowed to run as a candidate in another party's primary election.

Requires state agencies and courts to take into consideration the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition and contemporary examples of antisemitism when reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of any non-criminal or criminal law, rule, or policy prohibiting discriminatory acts.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 1336) requires health care providers to report the number of vaccine exemptions they grant for children, and mandates that immunization information systems (including New York State’s and New York City’s registries) record and store this data by provider. It directly affects health care providers who issue vaccine exemptions and state/local health departments responsible for managing immunization records. The key mechanism is a new requirement for providers to report exemption counts, which must then be entered into existing statewide systems in a searchable format for health officials to access. This creates a standardized, provider-level data tracking system without changing exemption eligibility rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the state excise tax on cigarettes from $5.35 to $6.24 per 20 cigarettes (or $1.33 per 5 cigarettes for larger packages). It applies to most cigarette sales within the state, including retail purchases by consumers, but maintains existing exemptions for sales to qualified Native Americans on tribal reservations, the U.S. government, and military organizations. Sellers must affix tax stamps to cigarettes, and tribes may choose between two systems for handling tax-exempt sales to tribal members. The tax change takes effect immediately upon enactment.