Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Maddy summaryThis bill asks the Governor of New York to officially recognize April 2026 as Sikh Heritage Month. The resolution highlights the contributions of the Sikh community to the state and aims to increase awareness of Sikh history and traditions. It does not change laws or create new programs but serves as a formal proclamation to honor the community.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 9217) increases paid leave for public employees serving in the military. It allows eligible public employees (such as government workers, teachers, or police officers) to receive full pay for up to 60 days or 52 working days of absence for military duty in a single year, including travel time to and from duty. The change replaces previous limits of 30 days or 22 working days. The bill amends existing law to provide this additional paid leave without requiring new funding or administrative changes.

Authorizes the presentation of a New York State Cold War Commemorative Medal for active duty during the period of September 2, 1945 through December 26, 1991.

Maddy summaryBill S 871 establishes uniform waiting list priorities for domestic violence survivors applying for public housing. It requires local housing authorities to give these survivors the same priority as other vulnerable groups, such as the disabled, elderly, and homeless. To qualify, a survivor must either continue to face domestic violence in their current home or have left due to violence and not be living in standard permanent housing. For applicants with the same priority status, housing authorities will select based on the date and time their application was received.

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 creates the "Lab Services Accessibility Act," which modifies New York's public health law to expand exemptions for clinical laboratories providing specific public health services. It directly affects clinical laboratories and health service providers operating under public health programs, such as pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted infection screening, pandemic response, and care for underserved populations. Key provisions (Section 3) add new payment exemptions, allowing services for these programs to be covered without triggering certain regulatory requirements - specifically, by entities like hospitals, insurers, or public health initiatives. The law aims to streamline access to essential lab services by clarifying payment pathways for priority health needs.

Requires the department of veterans' services to establish and maintain, in consultation and collaboration with other state agencies, a searchable database on the department's website providing resources available in the state for veterans, members of the uniformed services, and their families.

Allows a one-year window for application for a disability retirement for members of the New York state and local employees' retirement system or the New York state and local police and fire retirement system who retired from service on or after January 1, 2021 due to heart disease; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof.

Relates to coercive control; provides that the family court and the criminal courts shall have concurrent jurisdiction over acts which constitute coercive control; provides that courts may issue orders of protection upon a finding of coercive control; directs the office of court administration, in consultation with the office for the prevention of domestic violence and certain organizations, to develop and administer training for judges and court clerks on coercive control.

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.