Sen. Jessica Ramos

Provides that certain communications made without malice regarding an incident of sexual assault, harassment or discrimination shall be deemed privileged; provides that a prevailing defendant in an action brought against such defendant for making a communication that is privileged shall be entitled to attorney's fees and costs for such defense.

Enacts the student journalist education act to protect student speech at educational institutions unless such speech is libelous, an invasion of privacy, or incites students to commit an unlawful act, violate school policies, or to materially and substantially disrupt the orderly operation of the school.

Establishes the "stop online predators act"; requires operators of covered platforms to conduct age verification to determine whether a user is a covered minor; requires operators of covered platforms to utilize certain default privacy settings for covered minors; requires operators of covered platforms to require parental approval of certain activity related to a covered minor's covered platform account.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate Resolution that formally congratulates the Bolton Central School Boys Varsity Basketball Team, their coaches, and athletic director on winning the Class D State Championship. The resolution specifically names the individual players, Head Coach Cody Kober, Assistant Coach Angel Figueroa, and Athletic Director Mark Andrejkovics, and directs that copies of the document be sent to them. It recognizes the team's 26-1 season record and their victory over Sackets Harbor High School, highlighting the athletic achievement without altering any laws or policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill asks Governor Kathy Hochul to officially recognize March 31, 2026, as Farmworkers Day in New York State. The resolution honors the historical contributions of farmworkers to democracy and human rights, particularly referencing the United Farm Workers movement and their advocacy for better working conditions. It does not create new laws or change existing policies but serves as a commemorative proclamation to acknowledge the legacy of farmworkers. The measure directs the governor to issue a formal statement recognizing this date and highlights New York's 2019 Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act as part of the state's ongoing support for farmworker protections.

Maddy summaryThis bill asks Governor Kathy Hochul to officially designate March 20, 2026, as Behavior Analysis Day in New York State. The resolution recognizes the history and importance of behavior analysis as a scientific field that studies how behavior works and develops skills through positive reinforcement. It highlights the profession's growth since New York began licensing behavior analysts in 2014 and aligns the state observance with the global celebration of World Behavioral Analysis Day. The bill does not change laws or funding but serves as a formal acknowledgment of the field's contributions to education and healthcare.

Provides additional requirements for approval of charter school applications; applies additional prohibitions to charter schools; requires certain financial disclosures by charter schools; requires charter schools to comply with provisions relating to construction, repair or demolition of school facilities; relates to admission of students.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the robocall prevention act, restricts the use of automatic dialing devices and prerecorded voice calls to residents of New York State and requires telephone service providers to offer free call mitigation technology to their customers. The law defines a robocall as any call made using an automatic dialing device or artificial voice to a state telephone number and allows such calls only for emergency purposes, with the recipient's prior express consent, or by labor organizations to their members. Telephone service providers must provide technology that identifies and blocks unwanted robocalls while permitting calls from law enforcement and public safety entities. The bill also mandates that robocalls using prerecorded voices must identify the caller at the beginning and end of the message, prohibits the use of random or sequential number generators for dialing, and bans the transmission of misleading caller identification information with intent to defraud.

Maddy summaryThis bill asks the Governor of New York to officially designate March 2026 as Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder Awareness Month. It directly affects the state government and individuals living with NMOSD, a rare autoimmune disease that can cause vision loss, paralysis, and other neurological symptoms. The resolution directs the Governor to issue a proclamation recognizing the month, aligning with national awareness efforts to improve public understanding and support for those affected by the condition.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 707) requires managed long term care plans in New York to include specific data in annual reports to the state Department of Health, replacing previous biannual reporting. It mandates detailed metrics on service utilization (like hours of personal care), expenditures (broken down by service type), complaint resolution rates, timely access to care, and rebalancing efforts shifting care from nursing homes to home-based settings. These reports must be published annually on the Department’s website in an interactive format for public comparison, covering statewide and regional data. The changes directly affect managed care plans (which provide long-term care services), the Department of Health (which collects and publishes the data), and enrollees (whose care quality and access are measured).