Sen. Jessica Ramos

Directs the superintendent of state police to develop and institute child-sensitive arrest policies and procedures for instances where police are arresting an individual who is a parent, guardian or other person legally charged with the care or custody of a child.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires employers with at least twenty full-time permanent employees to create and share a written workplace violence prevention program. The program must include risk evaluations for factors like working alone or late at night, as well as specific training on identifying and reporting abusive conduct and bullying. Employees will receive this training when they start their jobs and once every year thereafter, covering how to protect themselves and report incidents. The law also mandates that employers install better lighting, use secure storage for cash, and set up systems to report aggressive behavior.

Establishes the warehouse worker injury reduction program; requires employers to establish an injury reduction program designed to identify and minimize the risks of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders among workers involved in performing manual materials handling tasks.

Relates to prevailing wage requirements applicable to brownfield remediation work performed under private contract as it relates to certain remediation activities, for sites that are seeking or have received a determination that the site is eligible for the tangible property credit component of the brownfield redevelopment tax credit, and the work is paid for in whole or in part by public funds.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires gas and electric companies in New York to maintain call centers within the state to handle customer inquiries about billing, service applications, and emergency assistance. It prohibits these companies from closing their call centers or moving customer service operations outside New York without first obtaining approval from the state commission through a public hearing process. The legislation also establishes financial penalties, including fines of up to $50,000 per inquiry sent out of state or $100,000 per day for each closed facility, to enforce compliance. Additionally, the bill allows for work-from-home policies for call center staff only if they are mutually agreed upon with the relevant labor organization.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new rules for contracts involving the creation and use of digital replicas of a person's voice or likeness. It declares any contract clause void if it allows a company to replace an individual's actual work with a digital simulation without providing a reasonably specific description of how that replica will be used. Additionally, the law protects individuals who were not represented by legal counsel or a labor union during the negotiation of these terms, ensuring that licensing agreements are clearly stated and signed separately from other employment contracts. These protections take effect on January 1, 2025, and apply to contracts entered into or modified on or after that date.

Requires public notice and public engagement when a general hospital seeks to close entirely or a unit that provides maternity, mental health or substance use care.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New York's workers' compensation law to allow injured workers to obtain prescription medications from pharmacies of their own choice under specific circumstances. It permits this when an employer or insurance carrier refuses to pay for medication, fails to respond to a reauthorization request within seventy-two hours, or denies reauthorization for reasons such as missing medical reports or reaching maximum medical improvement. Pharmacies that dispense these medications must follow state fee schedules, treatment guidelines, and formulary rules, and they assume financial liability if the claim is later denied. If the medication is eventually approved, the pharmacy can submit a claim for payment and continue dispensing the drug to the worker after reimbursement is established.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the ability of workers to file claims for mental injuries caused by extraordinary work-related stress. Previously, only specific first responders like police officers and firefighters could make such claims, but this law now applies to all workers. The key provision states that a claims board cannot reject a mental injury claim if it finds the stress experienced was not greater than what typically occurs in a normal work environment. The change aims to provide a clearer standard for evaluating stress-related injury claims across all job types.

Requires health insurance policies include coverage for anesthesia for the entire duration of a procedure for which a licensed medical practitioner has issued an order for such anesthesia.