Sen. John Liu

Maddy summaryThis bill gives New York's Board of Regents final authority to approve or deny all new and renewed charter school proposals. Charter schools seeking approval must resubmit their applications to the Board of Regents after addressing its feedback, and the Board must make a final decision within 30 days (or the proposal is automatically approved). It directly affects charter school applicants and entities by shifting the final approval decision from local authorities to the state Board of Regents, requiring all modifications to satisfy the Board's recommendations before approval. The bill does not change the process for charter school operations, only the final approval step for new or renewed charters.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New York's tuition assistance program to include students experiencing homelessness, directly affecting homeless students seeking financial aid for higher education. It modifies eligibility criteria to align with federal definitions under the McKinney-Vento Act and requires a standardized verification process for homelessness status across all tuition assistance programs. The bill also clarifies that homeless students cannot be considered "emancipated" for aid purposes solely based on their homelessness status. These changes aim to streamline access to financial aid for homeless students while ensuring consistent federal-aligned verification.

Relates to the order of candidate and delegate names on primary ballots in cities with a population of one million or more as of the latest federal decennial census and provides for a rotation of names in subsequent elections.

Provides that the course consisting of classroom driver training and highway safety instruction that is required of driver's license applicants shall be not more than six hours instead of five.

Directs the department of financial services to periodically inspect residential real properties for which a lender has a duty to maintain; authorizes the department of financial services or the municipality to impose a $500 a day civil penalty for the failure of a lender to maintain an abandoned property that it has a duty to maintain; requires such lenders to register with the statewide vacant and abandoned property electronic registry.

Enacts the "sewage flooding prevention act"; authorizes certain homeowners and not-for-profit agencies in New York City to receive an abatement of real property taxes up to two thousand dollars for the cost of installing sewer improvement check valve devices on certain dwellings; directs the New York City department of environmental protection to promulgate any necessary rules and regulations.

Requires additional disclosures from lobbyists including: campaign contributions to elected officials; existing business relationships or associations with public officials; and the names of family members of a public official to whom the lobbyist, or their employer, paid compensation of over $500 in the preceding calendar year and the amount of compensation paid; provides for the disposition of campaign funds.

Prohibits the search, with or without a warrant, of geolocation and keyword data of a group of people who are under no individual suspicion of having committed a crime, but rather are defined by having been at a given location at a given time or searched particular words, phrases, character strings, or websites.

Relates to motions to vacate judgment; authorizes filing motions to vacate judgment due to a change in law; authorizes motions to vacate judgment to be filed at any time after entry of a judgment obtained at trial or by plea; relates to the requirements of discovery.

Enacts the "deed theft: proof of sale price act" requiring a statement of the full sales price of real property being conveyed and proof of such sales price to be submitted to the recording officer in order for such officer to record or accept for recording the conveyance of real property.