Sen. Mario Mattera

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a religious exemption allowing children to attend school without required vaccinations if their parent, guardian, or legal custodian holds genuine and sincere religious beliefs opposing the vaccines. It directly affects families seeking to exempt their children from vaccination requirements for school attendance. The key provision amends public health law to require schools to accept such religious exemptions without demanding a certificate, while still reporting immunization status for exempt children. The exemption covers vaccines for diseases like measles, polio, and pertussis, as specified in existing law. This changes school vaccination policy by adding a religious exception to the current immunization requirements.

Increases penalties for endangerment of a highway worker; promotes work zone safety awareness; establishes a fund for additional work zone safety enforcement.

Prohibits a person convicted of "Buster's Law" from owning or possessing a companion animal unless authorized by court order, after appropriate psychiatric or psychological testing.

Maddy summaryBill S 7021 establishes a new retirement service credit for members of New York State public retirement systems who serve as volunteer firefighters or emergency service providers. Eligible members can receive one year of service credit for every five years of volunteer service, up to a maximum of three years of credit for fifteen years of service. To qualify, members must have at least five years of existing credited service and will pay a portion of the cost, calculated as three percent of their compensation for the twelve months preceding the application. The bill requires volunteer service to be certified by the agency and applications to be submitted before retirement.

Requires the principal of any high school to allow any local trade union, upon request, to enter the school for the purpose of trade union recruitment, including, but not limited to: making presentations; disseminating literature; and answering questions by students.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4758) changes the legal definition in New York's public health law to explicitly include certain emergency dispatchers and operators as "certified first responders." It adds "public safety dispatchers, emergency responders, emergency operators, emergency complaint operators, and emergency services dispatchers" to the official definition, recognizing their role in providing communication support within police, fire, rescue, and emergency services departments. The change does not create new duties or funding but formally acknowledges these staff as first responders under existing law. The bill was referred to the Health committee on February 12, 2025.

Relates to the required disclosure upon the release of a juvenile or adolescent offender from the custody of the office of children and family services of certain records that are necessary to ascertain the nature of such offender's conviction and would be beneficial in identifying and mitigating any risk that such offender could pose if released.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits smoking or using cannabis in public spaces like streets, sidewalks, parks, and outdoor restaurant areas unless a local government specifically designates those areas for cannabis use. It establishes a $125 fine for violations, payable to the local government where the offense occurred, and requires the Cannabis Control Board to work with local governments on implementing rules for designated zones. The law directly affects cannabis users in public settings and local governments responsible for designating permitted areas, while maintaining New York's existing legal framework for personal cannabis use.

Enacts the New York state antisemitism vandalism act which establishes the crime of vandalism of pro-Israel print, which provides a class A misdemeanor for any individual who intentionally destroys, damages, removes, or causes to be destroyed, damaged or removed any banner, poster, flyer or billboard which is located in a public space, where the intent or purpose of such banner, poster, flyer or billboard is to bring awareness for Israeli individuals who have been victims of a crime, or to positively support the country or citizens of Israel in any way.

Authorizes the state board of parole to require a violent felony offender to serve their maximum term, if, by clear and convincing evidence, release would pose an imminent threat to society; authorizes the withholding of good behavior allowances of violent felony offenders by the state board of parole upon such a finding.