Sen. Tony Palumbo

Maddy summarySenate Resolution J 1293 commends Armando and Shayla Gramajo for receiving New York State's Liberty Medal, the Senate's highest honor for individuals. The resolution recognizes their 2024 actions when they intervened to save a woman attacked with a knife in White Plains - Armando (a bus driver and former Guatemalan Army veteran) stopped the attacker, and Shayla (a physician's assistant) provided medical aid using household items until emergency services arrived. This symbolic resolution, passed by the New York State Senate, formally honors their humanitarian act and does not create new laws or affect any policies. It serves as a ceremonial tribute to their spontaneous, life-saving response.

Permits award of crime victim assistance funds to victims of overdoses, where such overdoses cause death and were the result of deception, surreptitious delivery, or third-party administration of a controlled substance.

Increases criminal penalties for aggravated harassment of an elected official and criminal trespass of an elected official's residence; provides that aggravated harassment of an elected official shall be a class E felony and criminal trespass of an elected official's residence shall be included in criminal trespass in the first degree and shall be a class D felony.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4262) increases pension benefits for New York City Police Department (NYPD) detectives, sergeants, and lieutenants who retire after meeting specific service thresholds. It adds 5% (for 25 years of service), 10% (for 30 years), or 15% (for 35 years) of the highest pay grade for their rank to their pension calculation, based on their final salary. The increase replaces any other pension adjustment under a separate provision (section 14-111). This directly affects NYPD officers retiring in these ranks with the required service years, providing a concrete, higher pension calculation.

Provides that the commissioner of education may also withhold from any district or city its share of the public money of the state for willfully disobeying any provision of law, or for such decisions, orders or regulations as aforesaid whose willful violation constitutes an immediate threat to the health, safety, education or welfare of students, employees or visitors at such common school, educational institution, school district or public school.

Requires that any rules or regulations related to hydrofluorocarbon substances conform with, and shall not exceed, any applicable rules and regulations set by the United States environmental protection agency.

Authorizes the village of Quogue in the town of Southampton, county of Suffolk to establish a demonstration program imposing monetary liability on the owner of a vehicle for failure of an operator thereof to comply with posted maximum speed limits.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's criminal procedure law to allow judges to set bail for individuals charged with certain offenses involving threats against schools, school staff, or students. It specifically adds crimes such as aggravated harassment, making a threat of mass harm, aggravated threat of mass harm, and terroristic threats - when directed at a school district, school, staff, or student - to the list of offenses for which bail can be imposed. This change grants courts the discretion to require monetary bail for these particular school-related threat offenses.

Enacts the small insurer protection act prohibiting the filing of an application for an order of rehabilitation or liquidation of a small insurer on certain grounds unless such order is based on: the superintendent's adoption of a report on examination finding the company insolvent; or the annual or quarterly financial statements of the company, which show that the company's admitted assets do not exceed its liabilities and surplus to policyholders if the company does not maintain reserves in an amount determined reasonable by its independent loss reserve specialist or its appointed actuary.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a state-funded program to reimburse small school districts for sharing a superintendent. It applies to districts with fewer than 1,000 students that partner with up to two other similarly sized districts, with reimbursement covering 17-25% of the superintendent's salary based on county median pay or actual costs. The state appropriates $1 million to fund these reimbursements, but excludes districts exceeding tax levy limits or participating in existing cooperative education agreements. Districts must submit claims documenting their costs and savings by September 1st following participation.