Sen. Robert Jackson

Relates to the provision of breast pumps and related collection and storage materials to certain incarcerated nursing birth parents who are confined in or committed to an institution or local correctional facility with or without their child subject to specific time limitations; requires institutions and local correctional facilities to provide pumps and related materials to such incarcerated birth parents; requires the commissioner of corrections and community supervision to issue an annual report on data relating to incarcerated birth parents.

Relates to requiring the establishment of automatic payment plans; requires utility companies headquartered in New York to establish a statewide program to provide eligible participants with affordable payment plans.

Establishes the homeowner protection program; provides that the department of law shall establish the homeowner protection program to ensure the availability of free housing counseling and legal services to homeowners for the purposes of mitigating threats to homeownership; provides that the department of law shall provide grants to eligible not-for-profit housing counseling organizations and legal services organizations to provide services under the program.

Establishes the underrepresented teachers of tomorrow teacher recruitment and retention program to attract and retain underrepresented certified teachers in schools which have an underrepresentation of underrepresented certified teachers; provides for grants and procedures for applying for such grants and eligibility requirements for fund distribution.

Provides that for New York city uniformed correction revised plan members of the New York city employees' retirement system, the service retirement benefit shall not be reduced by the primary social security retirement benefit commencing at age sixty-two.

Grants volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians academic credit at state operated institutions of the state university of New York and the senior colleges of the city university of New York to the extent of three academic credits per year, and 6 credits in the aggregate; provides that no fee, tuition or other charge shall be assessed against a volunteer firefighter or emergency medical technician who qualifies for such credit; directs the board of trustees of the state university and the city university of New York to adopt necessary procedures.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires state and local parks to test their drinking water for lead contamination at least once every three years. If lead levels are found to be unsafe, park managers must provide free safe water, shut down affected outlets, post warnings, and share results online. The law also mandates that officials publish a biennial report on these findings and exempts New York City parks if they already have a testing program.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New York City correction and sanitation workers to borrow from their retirement savings. Specifically, it amends city retirement rules to permit these members (who were previously excluded) to borrow up to 75% of their accumulated retirement contributions, with interest. Borrowers must have at least three years of continuous service and repay the loan through payroll deductions over time. The bill removes prior restrictions that prevented these workers from accessing this borrowing option available to other city employees. It directly affects NYC correction and sanitation workers enrolled in specific retirement systems.

Maddy summaryThis bill would expand family leave protections to include employees who are recovering from a stillbirth. It directly affects workers who experience pregnancy loss by adding stillbirth recovery to the list of qualifying reasons for taking unpaid leave under the state's workers' compensation law. The key provision amends existing definitions to allow employees to take leave during the first twelve months after a stillbirth, treating it similarly to leave taken to bond with a newborn child. The bill would take effect 90 days after becoming law if it were to pass both legislative chambers.

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.