Asm. Chris Eachus

Maddy summaryThis bill allows local governments (counties, cities, towns, villages) and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES) to install cameras on school buses to capture drivers who fail to stop for school buses. It authorizes the use of stationary or mobile photo monitoring systems to document violations of school bus stop laws, with local governments bearing all installation and maintenance costs. The footage cannot be used in school disciplinary proceedings or for licensing actions against bus operators. School districts or BOCES must handle the footage per agreement but cannot access it for disciplinary purposes.

Establishes protection for senior citizens against unwarranted eviction; requires plaintiff/landlord to file an affidavit determining whether or not the respondent is a senior citizen and sets forth guidelines and procedures for a default eviction against a senior citizen, including representation of counsel; defines senior citizen as persons aged 62 or over for purposes of the real property actions and proceedings law.

Prohibits public utilities from using funds or being reimbursed by funds raised from ratepayers for contributions or gifts to political candidates, trade associations, public charities, and lobbyists, and for certain travel, entertainment and educational expenditures.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds Doodletown Brook in Rockland County to the list of waterways eligible for New York's local waterfront revitalization program. It directly affects communities in Rockland County that may now apply for program funding to support projects along this specific brook. The change modifies an existing state law definition to include Doodletown Brook among over 20 other named waterways.

Requires the commissioner of motor vehicles to adopt rules and regulations requiring the issuance and placement of special stickers identifying alternative fuel vehicles having a gross vehicle weight of ten thousand pounds or less; requires such stickers to be easily identifiable to first responders as alternative fuel vehicles; defines alternative fuel.

Requires pharmacies to provide prescription drug readers or other means of access to individuals who disclose they have difficulty seeing or reading standard print labels on prescription drug containers; defines "prescription drug reader" to mean a device which is capable of audibly conveying information contained on the label of a prescription drug; makes exceptions.

Increases the tax exemption for pensions and annuities for persons age fifty-nine and one-half or greater from $20,000 to $25,000 in 2027, $30,000 in 2028, $35,000 in 2029 and $40,000 for each subsequent year.

Directs the state to provide annual base funding to community colleges operating under the university of the state of New York; requires funding to be indexed to inflation; requires annual reporting.

Enacts the "dialogue and decorum act" which establishes the crime of disruption or disturbance of a lawful assembly; makes such crime an unclassified misdemeanor.

Allows certain claimants to be reclassified to permanent total disability or total industrial disability due to extreme hardship; defines extreme hardship.