Sen. Jessica Ramos

Maddy summaryThis bill requires insurance carriers and self-insured employers to notify injured workers (or their legal representatives) when a claims representative is replaced or no longer needed for workers' compensation claims. It mandates written notice within 14 business days - via email or certified mail - providing the new representative's name and contact details. The law applies specifically to workers receiving benefits under the state's workers' compensation system, ensuring they are informed of changes affecting their claim handling. This standardizes communication to prevent confusion during claim processing.

Relates to the applicability of the New York state labor relations act if the federal national labor relations board declines jurisdictions it has previously held, determines certain provisions are outside the scope of its duties, cannot execute its duties, or where the national labor relations act is repealed or preempted so as to nullify its effectiveness.

Establishes the New York COVID-19 children's fund program to provide assistance to children whose parent, custodian, legal guardian, or related adult household member died as a result of contracting COVID-19, regardless of immigration status of such children.

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts health care employers from requiring nurses or health care workers (excluding doctors, residents, and security staff) to work more than their regularly scheduled hours, except in specific emergencies or during ongoing surgical procedures. It defines "regularly scheduled work hours" to include pre-scheduled on-call time and shift report communication, and prohibits using on-call time as a substitute for mandatory overtime. Exceptions include health care disasters, official emergency declarations, unanticipated staffing emergencies, or procedures requiring continuous presence for patient safety. The law aims to protect patient care quality by limiting excessive work hours, without affecting existing rights under other laws or collective bargaining agreements.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the "Raise the Wage Act," increases New York's minimum wage to $21.25 per hour in New York City by 2028, $17.25 in the city's suburbs (Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester) by 2026, and gradually across the rest of the state. It repeals current static wage provisions and establishes automatic annual adjustments tied to inflation and productivity, mirroring the formula used for upstate wages since 2022. The bill directly affects all hourly workers covered under New York's labor law, particularly in low-wage sectors like home care and childcare. This indexing mechanism aims to prevent future erosion of purchasing power, ensuring wages keep pace with rising living costs.

Establishes a culturally responsive education curriculum and standards; requires all school districts, charter schools and private schools to integrate culturally responsive education throughout the education of all students at all grade levels; establishes a pilot program in culturally responsive education; appropriates $25,000,000 therefor.

Enacts the "standing is tiring (sit) act"; requires employers to provide suitable seats to all employees where the nature of such employees' work reasonably permits seated work; prohibits employers from artificially designing a work space to require standing; requires the department of labor to determine whether the nature of work reasonably permits seated work; creates a private right of action for employees whose employer does not provide seats.

Maddy summaryThis bill, S 2710, changes retirement rules for New York City police officers by reducing the required service time for full retirement benefits from 22 years to 20 years. It specifically applies to members of the New York City Police Pension Fund, allowing them to retire with full benefits after 20 years of service instead of the previous 22-year requirement. The bill amends three sections of the retirement law to update definitions, benefits, and eligibility, ensuring NYC police officers can access normal retirement benefits at the 20-year mark. This is a direct policy change affecting NYC police officers' retirement timelines, with no broader application to other public safety workers.

Specifies methods of calculating deposits and reserves for the aggregate trust fund and reserves of the state insurance fund; provides that all computations made or directed by the workers' compensation board shall be on the basis of the survivorship annuitants table of mortality, the remarriage tables of the Dutch Royal Insurance Institution applicable to claims for accidents occurring on or before December 31, 2025, and beginning January 1, 2026 and on January 1 of each tenth year thereafter, the United States life table for the total population published by the department of health and human services and the remarriage table published by the department of health and human services and the remarriage table published by the United States railroad retirement board applicable to claims for accidents occurring on or after January first of the year following the adoption of any revision of such tables; makes related provisions.

Authorizes courts, upon issuance of an order of protection, to order exclusive care, custody, and control of certain companion animals be granted to the petitioner