Sen. Luis Sepúlveda

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial Senate resolution congratulating Jolie Chichak, a Shenendehowa High School student, on winning the 2025 NYSPHSAA Girls Tennis Singles State Championship. It formally recognizes her athletic achievement (including her first Section 2 singles title and school's first state singles championship) and academic record (96.33 GPA). The resolution has no policy impact - it solely offers symbolic recognition to Chichak and her coaches/school staff. It does not create legal obligations or alter any laws.

Maddy summaryBill S 5278 establishes new fee rates for the administration of large estates by amending the surrogate's court procedure act. The bill creates more detailed fee tiers for estates valued at $500,000 and above, introducing new rates for various ranges up to $5,000,000. For estates valued at $5,000,000 or more, the fee rate is set at $10,000. This represents an increased fee for estates in this highest valuation bracket. The bill directly affects individuals involved in the administration of these large estates.

Enacts the "New York emergency expedited temporary work permit act" to allow asylum seekers to apply for and be granted temporary work permits while their federal immigration status is being determined.

Maddy summaryS 9103 prohibits betting on the outcomes of political elections. It directly affects individuals and businesses that operate or place wagers on election results, such as betting on who will win a presidential or congressional race. The bill amends existing gambling law to add a specific ban, making it illegal to "gamble upon the results of any political election" under current definitions of gambling. This change takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryS 9101 establishes a grant program to support the mental health and wellness of teachers and school staff in public schools. It creates a dedicated fund (not using state general funds) to provide two types of grants: planning grants (one-year) for developing programs and operational grants (two-year) for implementing programs that cover counseling, stress management training, and professional development. School districts must apply for grants, with applications evaluated based on staff turnover rates, employee satisfaction, and student success metrics like absenteeism and graduation rates. The program requires annual legislative reporting on outcomes and includes an advisory committee of mental health experts and educators.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes a requirement that students attend a New York high school for at least two years to qualify for certain state student loans. It directly affects New York high school graduates applying for undergraduate or graduate student loans under the state's higher education programs. The key change amends eligibility criteria in the Education Law, eliminating the two-year attendance rule while maintaining other requirements like graduation and timely application (within five years for undergrad, ten for grad). The policy change simplifies access to specific loans for students who may not have met the prior attendance threshold.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 9102) prohibits utility companies, specifically large cooperative housing corporations with 1,500+ apartments, from adding an excise tax to customer bills. It requires these utilities to pay the tax directly to the city as part of their operating costs, rather than passing it on to tenants. The law applies to utilities like electricity, steam, or water provided to residents of these co-ops. This changes how the tax is collected but does not alter the tax rate or create new obligations for customers.

Maddy summaryThis is a procedural Senate resolution (not a bill), requesting Governor Hochul to declare July 1, 2026, as "Canada Day" in New York State. It memorializes the strong economic, cultural, and trade ties between New York and Canada, including $17 billion in annual exports and over 1,300 Canadian businesses operating in the state. The resolution has no binding effect; it simply asks the Governor to issue a ceremonial proclamation recognizing these connections. The legislature adopted it on February 3, 2026, and will send it to the Governor and Canada's New York Consul General.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 5851) would require elections for specific judicial and municipal officials to occur in even-numbered years. It directly affects judges of the supreme court, county courts, surrogate's courts, family courts (outside NYC), city supervisors, and county officials in cities, changing when their terms begin and end. Key provisions mandate that vacancies be filled at the next general election in an even-numbered year (held at least three months after the vacancy) and require all such officials' terms to expire at the end of an even-numbered year. The bill also specifies that temporary appointments for vacancies must last only until the next even-year election, aligning election cycles with statewide elections.

Permits the legislature to increase the number of justices of the supreme court in any judicial district up to one justice for every thirty thousand people in the district.