Sen. Andrew Gounardes

Maddy summaryThis bill, S 6001 ("Fair Court of Appeals Access Act"), changes how criminal defendants request permission to appeal to the New York Court of Appeals from decisions by intermediate appellate courts. It requires all such applications for "leave to appeal" to be submitted directly to the full Court of Appeals (not individual judges or justices), specifically to the chief judge who then assigns a judge to review the request. The bill mandates written submissions to the Court of Appeals clerk, requires notification to the opposing party, and demands that all decisions on these applications be filed immediately with the court clerk. This directly affects criminal defendants seeking to challenge intermediate court rulings by altering the procedural path to the highest appellate court.

Provides that no interest shall accrue on taxes imposed by a city with a population of one million or more unless a tax appeals tribunal shall have made a determination within one year from the date a petition is filed.

Prohibits hospital interference with patient care where the practitioner is acting in good faith and within the scope of their practice; defines emergency medical conditions; requires appropriate medical screening and stabilizing treatment of persons in an emergency department, including pregnant persons, or appropriate transfer.

Makes it a felony to fail to obtain an alteration permit or certificate of occupancy for a multiple dwelling where alteration was the direct or indirect cause of an injury.

Establishes the Terry Cooper autopsy accountability act requiring autopsy reports to include all photographs of the body, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays taken by, at the direction of, or reviewed by the person performing the autopsy.

Establishes an educational program related to the prevention of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia bias and discrimination based on religion, race, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Relates to benefits for police officers, correction officers, firefighters, and other emergency personnel diagnosed with PTSD by making their injury compensable if it cannot be shown, by a preponderance of evidence, that the PTSD was caused by factors unrelated to their occupation.

Maddy summaryS 2433 establishes protections for residents and cooperatives when ground leases for apartment buildings expire. It requires cooperatives to dissolve properly within 10 days of lease expiration and automatically grants residents tenant status under New York's rent laws, ensuring their housing remains regulated. The bill also gives the cooperative a 120-day right to purchase the underlying land if the landowner sells, with specific notice and timing requirements for both parties. These changes directly affect ground lease residential co-ops and their residents in New York, ensuring continuity of housing and rent protections upon lease termination.

Directs the metropolitan transportation authority, in conjunction with the New York city transit authority, to develop weekly and monthly tickets valid for optional, discounted transfers between such authorities.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies tax credits for residents of cities with over one million people. It adjusts the existing school tax credit by reducing it $20 for every $1,000 of income over $75,000 (single/head of household) or $150,000 (married filing jointly), but never below zero. It also creates a new $300 per child tax credit for qualifying children under 18, phased out by $10 for every $1,000 over $160,000 (head of household) or $320,000 (married filing jointly), with credits prorated for partial-year residency. The credit requires providing a child's Social Security number and applies only to residents of large cities.