Asm. Yudelka Tapia

Protects the rights of persons with disabilities to be accompanied by a guide dog or service dog in a place of public accommodation or housing accommodation; imposes a misdemeanor penalty for violations; requires the division of human rights to conduct a public awareness and education campaign.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a legal right to counsel for eligible immigrants in New York during immigration proceedings. It applies to income-eligible non-citizens or those with significant New York ties (like residents or cases tied to NY courts) facing removal or detention under federal immigration law. The New York State Office for New Americans will administer the program, providing initial consultations and ongoing legal representation starting when a case begins (e.g., upon receiving a "Notice to Appear") and continuing until the case concludes. Legal services must be offered regardless of the proceeding's location, including federal immigration courts outside New York.

Requires rent reduction in cases of submetered utility service; directs the division of housing and community renewal to develop a standard reduction and an appeals process.

Relates to establishing the housing access voucher program; provides that the commissioner of the division of housing and community renewal shall implement a program of rental assistance in the form of housing vouchers for eligible individuals and families who are homeless or who face an imminent loss of housing; provides that the commissioner shall designate housing access voucher local administrators in the state to administer the program.

Enacts the building up immigrant legal defense or BUILD act to provide competitive workforce development and capacity building grants to eligible entities that are seeking to expand access to representation for individuals facing deportation by increasing the workforce and strengthening the legal services infrastructure needed to provide such representation.

Establishes a school air conditioning system grant program to provide schools with funding to install air conditioning systems in certain areas; makes an appropriation therefor.

Establishes fetal and infant mortality review boards to study fetal and infant mortality and morbidity and make recommendations on policies, best practices, and strategies to reduce fetal and infant mortality and morbidity.

Maddy summaryThis bill doubles the New York State Child Tax Credit for children under one year old during the tax year, directly benefiting families with infants. It creates a new provision in the tax law requiring the credit amount for qualifying infants to be twice the standard rate, while maintaining the existing credit structure for older children. The law mandates the Tax Commissioner to establish a notification system and simplified claiming process to ensure eligible families can access the expanded credit starting in 2026. The policy applies to tax years beginning January 1, 2026, and specifically targets financial support for the first year of a child's life.

Establishes the mandatory reporting by certain professional or official persons who come into contact with mentally or physically incapacitated persons who were abused including residents of assisted living and adult care facilities who may be abused, mistreated or neglected; provides reporting procedures and grants immunity for such reporting; provides criminal and civil penalties.

Requires that public schools provide instruction on climate change, including but not limited to identifying the causes and impacts of climate change on individuals, environments and communities, and learning to evaluate solutions.