Sen. Luis Sepúlveda

Suspends all rent payments for certain residential tenants and small business commercial tenants if such tenant has lost employment or was forced to close their place of business and certain mortgage payments for landlords of such tenants in the state for ninety days following the effective date of this act in response to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Relates to removing the fee for a sex offender to make a change to his or her registration with the division of criminal justice services including fees for changing their address, or any change to his or her status of enrollment, attendance, employment or residence at any institution of higher education.

Increases the amount from $25,000 to $50,000 for actions and proceedings in the New York city civil court.

Provides that the voting age in New York be 16 years old.

Establishes the state of emergency small business and not-for-profit organization loan program.

Enacts the "marihuana regulation and taxation act"; relates to the description of cannabis, and the growing of and use of cannabis by persons twenty-one years of age or older; makes technical changes regarding the definition of cannabis; relates to removing certain references to marijuana relating to forfeiture actions; relates to the qualification of certain offenses involving cannabis and exempts certain persons from prosecution for the use, consumption, display, production or distribution of cannabis; relates to the definition of smoking; provides for the licensure of persons authorized to produce, process and sell marihuana; levies an excise tax on certain sales of cannabis; repeals certain provisions of the penal law relating to the criminal sale of cannabis and provisions of the general business law relating to drug paraphernalia; creates the New York state cannabis revenue fund, the New York state drug treatment and public education fund and the New York state community grants reinvestment fund.

Relates to the treatment and placement of incarcerated people based upon gender identity; requires that incarcerated people in state and local correctional facilities who have a gender identity different from the person's assigned sex at birth be addressed and have access to commissary items, clothing and other materials that are consistent with the person's gender identity; and establishes that incarcerated people shall be presumptively placed in a correctional facility with persons of the gender that most closely aligns with such person's gender identity unless the person opts out of such placement, such person is free to change their mind and switch at any time.

Establishes a program for adults over fifty who are under community supervision or who will be released from a state correctional facility.

Relates to establishing the housing access voucher program; provides that the commissioner of the division of housing and community renewal shall implement a program of rental assistance in the form of housing vouchers for eligible individuals and families who are homeless or who face an imminent loss of housing; provides that the commissioner shall designate public housing agencies in the state to administer the program.