Asm. Michael Benedetto

Maddy summaryThis bill requires retailers to clearly label specific perishable and packaged foods with two dates: a "safety date" (indicating the last safe consumption date) and a "quality date" (indicating the last recommended consumption date). It applies to common products like eggs, high-moisture baked goods (e.g., breads, cakes), dairy items (e.g., yogurt, cheese, milk), and other refrigerated foods. Retailers must display both dates on the container, and state health and agriculture officials will create detailed rules for how these labels appear. The law takes effect 180 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryBill A 6891 restricts charter schools from submitting revisions to expand their grade levels if the change would cause them to serve students across multiple school classifications (such as elementary, middle, or high school) as defined by state regulations. Effective June 1, 2025, charter schools may no longer propose expansions that would result in serving more than one classification (e.g., adding high school grades to an existing elementary school). This rule applies to all new revisions submitted to charter entities after the effective date. The bill directly affects charter schools seeking to broaden their grade ranges beyond their current classification.

Provides for accountability in state assessments by creating a regents review board to audit assessments used to determine grade promotion, graduation and adequate yearly progress by requiring a written report, implementation of an auditing and review of pilot and/or field testing of the standardized tests used to ensure validity, reliability, alignment to standards and appropriateness of use.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3589, "Protects library access to electronic literary materials") bans restrictive clauses in contracts between publishers and libraries for electronic literary materials (e-books and digital audiobooks). It specifically prohibits terms that limit libraries' core functions, such as restricting loans, limiting preservation copies, or controlling loan periods. The law applies to licensing agreements for literary monographs (single-volume works) and declares such prohibited terms unenforceable, with libraries able to seek remedies under state law. It does not apply to contracts between libraries and aggregators (companies licensing multiple publishers' collections).

Requires that the NYS board of regents hold at least two meetings a year in New York city; requires announcements of the time, date, location and agenda thereof.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends New York City's on-demand E-hail paratransit pilot program until March 31, 2027, and requires expanding it to include 1,200 additional Access-A-Ride paratransit users by March 2026. The program allows eligible Access-A-Ride users to book immediate rides via smartphone app or phone, with fares matching standard bus/subway base rates and service hours aligned with regular transit. Expansion must use existing 2019 funding levels and select a representative sample of users across age, disability, location, and ride frequency. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority must report on pilot usage, costs, and ridership by April 2027.

Imposes an additional tax surcharge on certain non-primary residence class one and class two properties in a city with a population of one million or more.

Provides for automatic voter registration and pre-registration for persons applying for certain department of motor vehicles documentation, and for persons applying for or re-enrolling in Medicaid; allows individuals to decline such automatic registration and pre-registration.

Relates to the creation of a crime database of all convictions in New York state of animal cruelty, fighting, neglect, abandonment and mistreatment; makes such crime database available to all law enforcement entities, district attorneys, duly incorporated humane societies, societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals, dog or cat protective associations and animal control officers.

Relates to protecting the communication rights of individuals with disabilities; provides that each person with a disability has the right to communicate in their preferred manner.