Sen. Kevin Parker

Establishes a voluntary registry of individuals with autism, Alzheimer's or dementia who may be at risk of wandering away from home; creates a standardized form available that may be submitted to local law enforcement agencies by family members and caregivers of such individuals that would include identifying information and may include a photograph of the registrant.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the New York State Autism Council, a 16-member body to coordinate autism-related efforts. The council includes state agency representatives, family advocates, parents of children with autism, and regional specialists, directly serving families and providers of autism support services across New York. Key provisions require the council to approve autism awareness programs, develop family education initiatives, coordinate biomedical research sharing, and oversee funding for approved programs and services. It also directs state funds toward approved autism programs, awareness projects, and research, with a cap limiting research spending to 10% of allocated funds annually. The council must submit an annual report to the governor with recommendations for improving autism services.

Provides grants to nonprofit organizations that provide eligible home reading programs that provide independent reading level books that are individually mailed to the residences of kindergarten through fifth grade students on a weekly basis.

Requires the creation of a database to track the issuance of contracts by public authorities and state agencies with minority and women-owned businesses.

Directs the commissioner of health and commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities to jointly promulgate rules and regulations requiring pediatric health care providers to screen children beginning at the age of 12 months for autism spectrum disorders during each wellness and preventative care examination and to conduct such screening annually until such child reaches age six, and thereafter at eleven and fourteen years of age.

Enacts The New Deal for CUNY; increases the ratio of faculty and mental health counselors to full-time students; requires that certain amounts of tuition be replaced by federal, state, and city funds.

Provides that whenever a contiguous property of a college or university contains three hundred or more registrants, the polling place designated for such election district shall be on such contiguous property or at a location approved by the college or university.

Establishes a statewide person-centered mental health services work group to improve statewide mental health planning and outcomes to achieve a person-centered, prevention-first integrated and tiered system of care for holistic health and wellness.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits police officers from using chemical agents - such as pepper spray, tear gas, or oleoresin capsicum - against any minor under 18 years old in all circumstances. It directly affects minors under 18 and requires all police departments to update their use-of-force policies to ban these chemical agents. The law amends existing policy rules to explicitly forbid such use, applying immediately upon enactment. This is a policy change to restrict specific police tactics targeting children, with no exemptions or exceptions specified.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the legal definition of "employer" under New York's labor law to include specific public entities and certain nonprofits. It directly affects state agencies, local governments, public authorities, and not-for-profits receiving 50% or more of their funding from government sources. The key provision requires all these public employers to create and carry out workplace violence prevention programs. The bill amends Labor Law Section 27-b and takes effect immediately.