Sen. Andrew Gounardes

Maddy summaryThis bill, S 3398 (the "reasonable accommodation anti-retaliation act"), prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who request reasonable accommodations under New York's anti-discrimination law. It explicitly adds "requesting a reasonable accommodation" to the list of protected actions in Section 296 of the Executive Law, making it unlawful to punish workers for such requests - like disclosing personnel files in retaliation. The law clarifies that existing anti-discrimination protections already covered this, but the amendment makes the prohibition explicit and enforceable. It applies immediately to all actions occurring after its effective date.

Requires each institution of higher education to make publicly available its policy on notifying the parent, guardian, or emergency contact of a student under twenty-one of certain controlled substance and alcohol violations, including rule infractions, and controlled substance or alcohol related hospitalizations or overdoses; requires such colleges and institutions to conduct regular training on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Requires student financial aid award letters to contain information on net costs, defined as an estimate of the costs of attendance after financial aid which does not require repayment and options for loans which do require repayment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance to cover backup cochlear implant devices for patients during initial implantation and for all future replacements or upgrades (typically needed every 3-5 years). It directly affects patients with cochlear implants who currently lack access to backup devices after their initial device is installed. The law mandates that large group health insurance policies provide this coverage as long as the patient uses the implant, including for necessary upgrades, while allowing standard deductibles and copays. The bill was passed by the legislature but vetoed by the governor on December 5, 2025, so it has not become law.

Provides that a false representation of affiliation or approval, or false implication of such affiliation or approval, of any official, state or local agencies or other official source, shall be false advertising.

Defines epinephrine device as a single-use device or nasal spray device used for the automatic injection or administration of a premeasured dose of epinephrine into the human body for the purpose of emergency treatment of a person appearing to experience anaphylactic symptoms.

Maddy summaryThis bill sets a 5% maximum annual increase for property tax base proportions in cities for fiscal year 2026. It directly affects cities calculating property taxes, requiring their local legislative bodies to set the exact increase (up to 5%) by December 1, 2025. If cities issued tax bills before the law took effect, they must revise those bills and reissue them with updated rates, but taxpayers remain responsible for payments due before the revision. The bill ensures cities can adjust tax calculations within this cap while maintaining prior payment obligations for existing bills.

Prohibits discrimination against and harassment or bullying of students by other students on school property or at a school function; requires schools to investigate reports of bullying; requires schools to adopt a written, plain-language anti-bullying and harassment policy; requires school employees to report incidents of bullying or harassment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1224) prevents school-based health center services from being delivered to medical assistance recipients (like Medicaid beneficiaries) through private managed care insurance plans. It amends state law to require these services to continue being provided directly outside of managed care programs. The key change ensures that students receiving medical assistance can access school health services through traditional public health channels, not through private insurance networks. The bill was passed by the legislature in June 2025 but was vetoed by the governor on October 16, 2025, so it did not become law.

Maddy summaryS 5546 defines "consumer debt" as any obligation for personal, family, or household expenses (including medical debt), replacing the older term "consumer credit transaction" in New York law. It clarifies that consumer debt excludes real property-secured debts or cases seeking property possession. Key provisions require Spanish/English notices in court documents for these cases, set a strict 3-year deadline to file lawsuits, and update venue rules for consumer debt cases. The bill directly affects consumers, debt collectors, and courts handling personal financial disputes in New York. It makes no new financial obligations but standardizes terminology and procedures for these legal actions.