Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Directs the department of public service to promulgate rules, regulations and model policies regarding setback requirements for the siting of battery energy storage systems; requires minimum setback requirements for commercial energy storage systems, with a capacity of three megawatts or greater, of no less than seven hundred fifty feet from residential property and no less than three hundred feet from residential property located in a city with a population of one million or more inhabitants; requires public hearings prior to the approval of an application for a permit for such systems.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution honors Investigator Michael Theetge of the Chemung County Sheriff's Office for receiving the Order of the Blue Heart Award from Wounded Blue, a national organization supporting law enforcement officers injured on duty. The resolution formally commends his 14-year service, leadership as SWAT commander, and recovery from a severe March 2024 on-duty injury, directing that a copy be sent to him as a token of legislative respect.

Establishes a tax credit for commercial trucks entering into the central business district for all additional tolls charged on trips into the central business district after the first entry per day.

Maddy summaryThis is a commemorative Senate Resolution (J 1558) honoring Margaret D. Williams, a Coney Island community leader and member of the doo-wop group The Cookies, who passed away in January 2026. The resolution recognizes her musical legacy - including chart-topping hits like "Chains" and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction - and her decades of community service, including 33 years with NYC Health and her work with the Coney Island History Project. It serves as a symbolic tribute from the legislature, expressing condolences to her family and celebrating her life’s impact. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new laws or affect any policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New York City police officers who previously worked as traffic enforcement agents to count that prior service toward their retirement and pension benefits. Specifically, it enables them to buy back service credit for their traffic enforcement time by paying the required contributions, ensuring this period counts as police service for retirement calculations. The policy applies to officers appointed as traffic enforcement agents before July 1, 2009, who later join the police department. It does not change existing retirement system rules but clarifies eligibility for those with prior traffic enforcement roles.

Maddy summarySenate Bill S 7641 designates where revenue from the existing opioid excise tax in New York State will be allocated. It specifies that all taxes, interest, and penalties collected from this tax, after accounting for any refunds, will be deposited into the New York State Drug Treatment and Public Education Fund. This mechanism ensures that funds generated by the opioid excise tax are directly used to support drug treatment and public education initiatives throughout the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New York City from holding minors under 18 in facilities designed for adults. It specifically bans placing youth under 18 in secure juvenile detention centers used for individuals aged 18 or older. The law creates a new category of "older youth detention facility" for 18- to 21-year-olds, ensuring this age group is held separately from younger minors. It directly affects NYC's juvenile justice system by requiring separation of minors under 18 from adult detention settings. The policy change takes effect January 1, 2027.

Expands health care services provided by telehealth to include services delivered through a facility licensed under article twenty-eight of the public health law that is eligible to be designated or has received a designation as a federally qualified health center, including those facilities that are also licensed under article thirty-one or article thirty-two of the mental hygiene law.

Requires that notice be given to the borough president or presidents, the council member or members, the senator or senators, the member or members of assembly and the district managers of the affected community board or boards when there is a change in service furnished upon the rapid transit facilities or the omnibus line facilities of the New York city transit authority.

Maddy summaryS 4322 creates a legal right for individuals to sue if a sexual partner unconsentedly removes, tampers with, or deceives them about using a contraceptive device (like condoms, spermicides, or diaphragms) during mutually agreed-upon intimate activity. It applies when both parties explicitly agreed the device would be used to prevent pregnancy or STIs, but the other person intentionally removed it, used a tampered device, or falsely claimed to be using one. Victims can seek compensation for emotional harm, STI risks, pregnancy risks, and other damages, though it doesn’t replace existing legal remedies like child support claims. The law explicitly states past consent to sex without contraception doesn’t imply future consent to forgo it.