Sen. Robert Jackson

Maddy summaryThis bill requires businesses that collect personal or family debts (like credit card or medical bills) to obtain a license from the state banking regulator before operating in New York. It sets minimum standards for debt collection practices, prohibits deceptive or abusive tactics, and establishes penalties for violations. The law directly affects debt collection agencies, debt buyers, and any business regularly collecting consumer debts within the state, while exempting certain entities like banks, attorneys, and nonprofits. Key provisions include mandatory licensing, background checks for owners, required surety bonds, and rules governing how collectors can communicate with debtors.

Establishes the office of census counts and provides for its powers and duties and the New York state census counts commission and provides for its powers and duties; establishes the offense of impersonation of a census enumerator; makes an appropriation therefor.

Establishes visiting policies for incarcerated people, to provide incarcerated people opportunities for personal contact with relatives, friends, clergy, volunteers and other persons to promote better institutional adjustment and better community adjustment upon release.

Relates to enacting the rent emergency stabilization for tenants act on local determinations of a housing emergency; authorizes a city with a population of one million or more to declare an emergency as to any class of housing accommodations if the vacancy rate for the housing accommodations in such class within such municipality is not in excess of five percent and a declaration of emergency may be made as to all housing accommodations if the vacancy rate for the housing accommodations within such municipality is not in excess of five percent; authorizes other cities, towns and villages to declare a housing emergency after considering publicly available data and holding public hearings.

Requires the office of court administration, clerks, and all other records custodians to develop policies and procedures to ensure no identifying information or documentation relating to name change actions or sex designation change actions is visible or retrievable in any electronic database maintained by the state of New York or a subdivision thereof.

Relates to actions and proceedings seeking an abatement of rent based on violations of the housing maintenance code, applicable housing standards, the building code, or the health code; relates to the number of housing judges assigned to certain actions.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes a specific section from the public health law that previously addressed individuals who knew they had a venereal disease. By repealing this section, the legislation stops the state from enforcing any rules or penalties related to that specific requirement. The change takes effect immediately and prevents any new legal actions from being started under the old rule.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to remove the ten-year time limit for prosecuting the crime of persistent sexual abuse in New York State. Currently, individuals can only be charged with this offense if they commit multiple qualifying sexual crimes within a ten-year period, but this legislation would eliminate that restriction. The change would allow prosecutors to pursue charges against repeat offenders regardless of how much time has passed since their previous convictions, provided the new offenses are separate criminal incidents. The bill directly affects the state's penal law and would impact how sexual abuse cases are investigated and prosecuted. If passed, it would take effect on November 1st of the following year.

Requires law enforcement officers to conduct a lethality assessment as part of the standardized domestic incident report form when responding to incidents of domestic violence.

Maddy summaryBill S 4612 amends the workers' compensation law to include coverage for treatment provided by licensed massage therapists. It defines "massage therapist" and adds them to the list of authorized healthcare providers within the workers' compensation system. Under this bill, an injured employee can receive massage therapy if prescribed or referred by an authorized physician, physician assistant, podiatrist, or nurse practitioner. Massage therapists rendering such treatment would be required to maintain patient records. However, their reports or opinions would not be considered evidence of the causal link of an injury to a work accident or occupational disease, nor evidence of disability, under this law.