Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Maddy summaryS 118 creates a searchable public database of existing dementia and Alzheimer's disease support programs for elderly individuals (60+). The office of aging, working with the health department, will develop criteria to identify successful programs and maintain the database on its website. The database will include program names, descriptions, contact details, and service areas to help elderly individuals, families, and caregivers find local resources. It requires annual updates to ensure the information remains current and accessible. This bill directly affects elderly persons with dementia/Alzheimer's and the service providers offering support in community settings.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows the Chabad of Sea Gate in Brooklyn to receive a retroactive exemption from real property taxes for the 2024-2025 tax period. It authorizes the county assessor to treat the organization's application as if it had been submitted on time, provided the group meets the standard requirements for tax-exempt status. If approved by the New York City Council, the bill permits the refund of any taxes already paid and the cancellation of associated fines or penalties. The legislation applies specifically to the property located at 2930 West 37th Street and takes effect immediately upon passage.

Clarifies that residents of the state and any policyholder, contract holder, certificate holder, or beneficiary of a policy, contract, or certificate of life, accident and health insurance may sue an insurer for violations related to misrepresentations, misleading statements and incomplete comparisons.

Indexes fixed dollar amounts in the statute to inflation, authorizes changes to compensation plans, removes obsolete language, and removes unnecessary filing requirements for certain life insurance and annuity businesses.

Provides that public officers and employees of the state who are members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol or the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots shall be granted leave from work with pay to participate in emergency services during certain air force assigned missions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires residential health care facilities to sign written agreements with licensed hospice programs to guarantee hospice services for eligible residents. The agreements must outline care coordination, including timely referrals, staff responsibilities, symptom management, medication oversight, emergency communication, and information sharing. The state health department will provide guidance and model contracts to help facilities and hospice programs implement these requirements. Facilities that fail to comply with the new agreement requirements could face enforcement actions. The law will take effect 100 days after becoming official.

Requires the consumer protection division to establish a process by which any state agency or third party, pursuant to an interagency agreement with the division for the purposes of fraud prevention, identity verification, and ensuring the integrity or security of individual identities, to grant access to verify New York resident identities via a secure comparison process against state systems.

Requires the department of labor create and maintain a list of available careers and job openings for veterans in the state of New York and provide such list to the department of veterans' services; requires such list to be placed on the department of veterans' services website.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 5053) raises the mandatory retirement age for New York City Police Department (NYPD) members from 62 to 65 years old. It applies specifically to NYPD officers covered under the relevant pension provisions effective July 1, 2025. The law changes the age requirement for forced retirement but maintains existing service-based retirement options (e.g., 20 years of service). It directly affects current and future NYPD members who would otherwise have been required to retire at age 62. The bill does not alter pension benefit calculations or other retirement eligibility rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a licensing system for two specific professions: orientation and mobility specialists (who help visually impaired people navigate safely) and vision rehabilitation therapists (who provide training for daily living skills). It defines these roles, sets education and training requirements for licenses, and creates a state board with representation from both professionals and the visually impaired community. Only licensed individuals may use these titles or provide these services, and the law explicitly states these specialists cannot prescribe optical devices. The bill directly affects visually impaired residents (including those legally blind or partially sighted) who seek these services and the professionals working in this field.