Provides that when the division of criminal justice services conducts a search of its criminal history records and returns a report thereon, all references to undisposed cases shall be excluded.
Provides for the return of fines, restitution and reparation payments and any interest thereon where a defendant is subsequently pardoned upon the ground of innocence or the conviction is reversed or vacated.
Maddy summarySenate Bill S 856 reorganizes the State Commission of Correction by expanding its membership from three to nine individuals. The bill diversifies the appointment process, allowing the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, Temporary President of the Senate, and the Correctional Association to each appoint members. It also mandates that the commission include members with specific professional backgrounds, such as formerly incarcerated individuals, health professionals, and attorneys. Additionally, the bill establishes a ten-year term limit for commissioners and alters the process for designating the chairperson and removing members.
Establishes protections for adults sixty years of age or older, or at least the age of eighteen and who, because of mental or physical impairments, are unable to manage their own resources or protect themselves from financial exploitation without assistance from others.
Maddy summaryThis bill adds voting seats for high school students on four New York City education councils: special education, English language learners, high schools, and District 75. It requires each council to include two student members who are enrolled in public high schools within the relevant district, appointed by school administrators or the chancellor. Students serve one-year terms and participate in decision-making on education policies affecting their schools. The bill directly impacts high school students by giving them formal representation on city-wide education boards.
Provides for comparable salary and other benefits for state employees designated managerial or confidential which shall not be withheld unless an employee has received a formal written performance evaluation rating of unsatisfactory or its equivalent.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 246) amends New York’s Social Services Law to expand asset exemptions for people applying to or receiving public assistance programs like SNAP or Medicaid. It increases the cash/liquid resource exemption from $2,500 to $10,500 for most applicants, adds new exemptions for education savings ($5,165), vehicle purchase accounts ($7,500), burial plots, funeral agreements, retirement accounts, and 529 college savings plans. The bill also clarifies that home ownership, one vehicle (with rising value limits), and specific reparations payments (for Japanese-American internment victims and Nazi persecution survivors) are not counted toward eligibility. These changes directly affect low-income households by allowing them to retain more assets while qualifying for aid. The bill updates existing exemptions under the Welfare Reform Act to align with current needs and federal guidelines.
Maddy summaryThis bill makes permanent disability benefits for volunteer firefighters who develop heart or coronary artery conditions related to their service. It removes an expiration date (previously set for June 30, 2025) from existing provisions in the volunteer firefighters' benefit law. The change directly affects volunteer firefighters who become disabled due to heart disease or coronary artery issues while serving, ensuring they continue to qualify for these benefits without time limits.
Requires school districts to have diversity, equity and inclusion officers to develop methods to diversify the personnel of the school district and to recommend changes to district policies and practices to reduce racial disparities in hiring school district employees, particularly teachers; requires boards of education to annually report information regarding such policies and practices to the department of education; requires the department of education to annually report such information to the legislature.
Relates to the confidentiality and expungement of records in juvenile delinquency cases in the family court; requires certain records to be expunged automatically.
