Sen. Cordell Cleare

Maddy summaryThis bill expands retirement service credit eligibility for various law enforcement officers in New York State, including those in the Department of Environmental Conservation, regional state park police, university police, and the New York Waterfront Commission. It requires these officers to be automatically covered by the state police retirement provisions and grants credit for their previous police service when calculating retirement benefits. The legislation also provides additional service credit for state university police officers who meet specific training and service requirements. These changes will take effect on July 1, 2026, and apply to officers entering or re-entering service after specified dates.

Establishes a pilot program to provide grants to local education providers to implement high-impact tutoring programs prioritizing low-income or underserved students to address student learning loss or unfinished learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes the time limits for filing civil lawsuits related to child sexual assault, incest, and the use of children in sexual performances. It allows victims to seek compensation for physical or psychological injuries at any time, even if years have passed since the abuse occurred. The law applies to cases involving offenders who were under eighteen years old at the time of the incident and does not require a prior criminal conviction to proceed. Additionally, the bill revives specific lawsuits that were previously dismissed because the filing deadline had expired, giving those plaintiffs a window to restart their legal claims.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the distribution and use of paper containing bisphenol A for recording business and banking transactions, such as receipts and credit card records. It directly affects paper manufacturers, financial institutions, and any entities involved in business transactions by banning the production and use of this specific type of paper. The legislation requires manufacturers to replace bisphenol A with the least toxic alternative available, which must be certified by the Department of Environmental Conservation as safe and free from known carcinogens or other harmful toxins. Additionally, the bill establishes an independent advisory committee of scientists to guide the department in identifying safe chemical substitutes and updating safety standards annually.

Prohibits insurance companies from discriminating based on genetic predisposition including refusing to issue or renew, charging any increased rate, or restricting any length of coverage; prohibits insurers from requiring genetic testing.

Establishes the diversity in investment act requiring certain venture capital companies to report diversity information about its funding determinations; requires reports to be published on the venture capital companies' websites; establishes penalties for failure to complete and publish such reports.

Eliminates the restriction on class actions involving a penalty or minimum recovery; adds language expressly permitting class actions against governmental entities.

Provides that, for a quorum, an advisory board may require that at a minimum, one quarter of the members and the presiding officer of a community board physically be present at a location where the public can attend for such board to conduct videoconferencing.

Prohibits temporary major capital improvement increases for buildings where the owner has demonstrated a pattern of violations unless the applicant shows by clear and convincing evidence that the proposed improvement will directly and substantially remedy those violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases financial penalties for landlords of rent-regulated housing who charge tenants more than the legally allowed amount. Under the new rules, owners found to have willfully collected overcharges will face fines equal to five times the amount overcharged, whereas non-willful errors would only result in a penalty equal to the overcharge plus interest. The legislation also clarifies how "legal regulated rent" is calculated by using registration statements from up to six years prior and limits penalty assessments to overcharges occurring within that six-year window. Additionally, the bill states that voluntarily lowering rent or refunding money after a complaint is filed will not be seen as proof that the original overcharge was not intentional. These changes apply to owners in cities with populations under one million and certain towns or villages where an emergency has been declared.