Sen. Jessica Ramos

Directs the New York state energy research and development authority to establish a ride clean rebate program for electric assist bicycles and electric scooters; defines terms; provides a fifty percent rebate for eligible purchases.

Relates to the Chisholm Chance Act; creates centers of pregnant and birthing persons and childcare services in Kings county and Bronx county to coordinate community-based organizations and community health workers to combat the pregnant and birthing persons health crisis.

Eliminates criminal and civil penalties for possession of controlled substances; establishes the drug decriminalization task force to develop recommendations for reforming state laws, regulations and practices so that they align with the stated goal of treating substance use disorder as a disease, rather than a criminal behavior.

Prohibits employers from using the federal electronic employment verification system to check the employment authorization status of an existing employee or an applicant who has not been offered employment and prohibits municipalities from requiring employers to use the federal electronic employment verification system.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows school districts to establish seven specific cultural and religious holidays - Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Tihar, Bandi Chhor Divas, and Onam - as official school holidays. It applies only to districts where the local school board determines there is a sizable student population observing these days. The provision gives districts flexibility to recognize these holidays without mandating statewide changes. The bill does not require any district to adopt these holidays but provides a framework for local decisions. It takes effect on July 1 following enactment.

Provides assistance to incarcerated individuals being released from correctional facilities for enrollment in safety net assistance, public assistance, supplemental assistance program (SNAP), special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC), the home energy assistance program (HEAP), supplemental security income, and state supplemental payments.

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 New Deal for CUNY; increases the ratio of faculty and mental health counselors to full-time students; requires that certain amounts of tuition be replaced by federal, state, and city funds.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits police officers from using chemical agents - such as pepper spray, tear gas, or oleoresin capsicum - against any minor under 18 years old in all circumstances. It directly affects minors under 18 and requires all police departments to update their use-of-force policies to ban these chemical agents. The law amends existing policy rules to explicitly forbid such use, applying immediately upon enactment. This is a policy change to restrict specific police tactics targeting children, with no exemptions or exceptions specified.

Establishes the teachers' fossil fuel divestment act; requires the New York state teachers' retirement system to divest the retirement system of any stocks, securities, equities, assets, or other obligations of corporations or companies included on an exclusion list of coal producers and oil and gas producers.