Asm. Chris Eachus

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New York school districts to create policies enabling home-schooled students to try out for and join district interscholastic sports teams. It requires these students to meet the same academic, health, and behavioral standards as enrolled public school students, including annual academic verification and age/eligibility rules. Home-schooled students would only be eligible to participate with their district of residence and must arrange their own transportation. The policy is optional for school districts and does not mandate participation.

Allows current, active and retired military service members and reserve units of the state to qualify for distinctive license plates; allows the spouse to also qualify for such distinctive plates.

Creates a private right of action for fertility fraud; adds a health care practitioner using human reproductive material from the practitioner or from a donor knowing or who reasonably should have known that such patient had not expressly consented to such use, to the crime of aggravated sexual abuse in the fourth degree; relates to the time in which to commence actions relating to fertility fraud; includes fertility fraud in the definition of professional misconduct for physicians, physician's assistants and specialist assistants.

Requires the use of a fire-resistant blanket, bag or container when charging a bicycle with electric assist or an electric scooter; requires sellers of such vehicles to include a fire-resistant blanket, bag, or container with the sale of each e-bike or e-scooter; establishes fines.

Expands health care services provided by telehealth to include services delivered through a facility licensed under article twenty-eight of the public health law that is eligible to be designated or has received a designation as a federally qualified health center, including those facilities that are also licensed under article thirty-one or article thirty-two of the mental hygiene law.

Requires minors under 18 years to attend school on a full-time basis, unless such minor is seventeen or older and enrolled in a vocational or occupational education program, with the consent of the school district and the person in parental relation with the minor; requires such minor must enroll in GED course until age of 19 years, if the person leaves school.

Sets the reimbursement for mobile crisis intervention services to be a rate that is not less than the rate that would be paid for such services pursuant to the medical assistance program under title eleven of article five of the social services law.

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.

Establishes the New York state first home grant program; directs the commissioner of homes and community renewal, in consultation with the state comptroller, to implement such program; provides assistance on behalf of a first time home buyer qualified for such program; and for costs in connection with the acquisition, involving an eligible mortgage loan, of an eligible home, including downpayment costs, closing costs, and costs to reduce the rates of interest on eligible mortgage loans; subsidies to make shared equity homes affordable to home buyers by discounting the price for which the home will be sold and to preserve the affordability of the home for subsequent home buyers; and pre-occupancy home modifications required to accommodate qualified home buyers or members of their household with disabilities; excludes the amount of any grant to any first time home buyer awarded or any federal first time home buyer grant program from taxable income for the purpose of calculating New York adjusted gross income.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that batteries used in electric-assist bicycles and electric scooters must be tested and approved by specific accredited laboratories, such as Underwriters Laboratories or labs meeting international ISO/IEC standards. It mandates that these batteries display a certification seal from an approved lab, including those accredited under ISO/IEC 17025 or participating in the OSHA NRTL program. The law directly affects battery manufacturers and sellers of e-bikes and e-scooters, who must ensure compliance before selling or using these devices. The requirement takes effect immediately upon passage.