Sen. Leroy Comrie

Maddy summaryThis bill allows retired New York state employees to change their designated beneficiaries if that beneficiary was convicted of a family offense (such as domestic violence) and the retiree was the complainant in the case. Retirees have 180 days from the conviction date to submit a written request to the retirement system to update their beneficiary or election. The law applies to all retirement systems covered under the state’s retirement and social security laws, including public education and city employee plans. The comptroller must notify retirees about this provision and create implementing rules. It directly affects retirees who are complainants in family offense cases involving their current beneficiaries.

Directs the office of children and family services to establish Dolly Parton's statewide imagination library program for encouraging children from birth to five years of age, inclusive, to develop a love of reading and learning; directs the office of children and family services to promote the statewide development of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; advance and strengthen local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs with the goal of increasing enrollment; recruit volunteers to assist in the development, promotion, and coordination of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; solicit donations, gifts, and other funding to financially support local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; develop community engagement; develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to the affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program; administer the local match requirement and coordinate the collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing; and develop statewide marketing and communication plans; establishes the imagination library of New York fund.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires businesses that use electric-assist bicycles for commercial deliveries to register their vehicles and display official number plates on the rear of each bike. It establishes that employers and third-party delivery platforms are legally responsible for paying fines if their drivers violate traffic laws while working. Additionally, the legislation defines specific terms for commercial bicycle operators and sets up a system of fines and penalties for businesses that fail to comply with these new registration and safety rules.

Maddy summaryS 399 makes it illegal for most people to possess or sell "pistol converters" (devices that turn semi-automatic pistols into machine guns) or "convertible pistols" (specific semi-automatic pistols that can be easily converted using common tools like screwdrivers). The bill defines convertible pistols as those with a "cruciform trigger bar" that can be altered with household tools, excluding most standard semi-automatic pistols. It criminalizes selling or transporting convertible pistols (a class D felony), with exemptions for police, military personnel, and licensed gunsmiths. The law aims to prevent easy conversion of standard firearms into automatic weapons under state law.

Requires notaries public and commissioners of deeds to complete and retain certain documents relating to the transfer of residential real property; relates to forgery and offering a false document concerning residential real property.

Requires all insurance policies and health maintenance organization contracts to provide coverage for maternity patients and their newborns for hospital stays of at least 48 hours following childbirth by natural delivery and 96 hours following childbirth by caesarean section; provides such coverage for patients who are recipients of medicaid.

Prohibits the division of criminal justice services from disclosing pending orders of adjournment in contemplation of dismissal on civil records of arrests and prosecutions.

Enacts the accelerate solar for affordable power (ASAP) act to set a new target for distributed solar energy capacity and direct the public service commission to advance reforms to the utility interconnection process to ensure timely and cost-effective integration of new distributed energy resources.

Enacts the "beauty justice act"; provides for the regulation of ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics; prohibits the sale of personal care products and cosmetic products containing certain restricted products.

Maddy summaryS 1833 creates New York's "harmful algal bloom monitoring and prevention act," establishing a state program to address toxic algae outbreaks in waterways. It requires state agencies to collect, consolidate, and analyze statewide data on harmful algal blooms (HABs), including water conditions and prevention efforts, and maintain a public database. The law mandates annual publication of region-specific best practices for HAB prevention and a comprehensive five-year report with public input, recommending coordinated state and local actions. This directly affects state environmental agencies and local municipalities managing water resources, focusing on data-driven prevention rather than new regulations.