Sen. Luis Sepúlveda

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New York's parole decision process by updating the factors parole boards must consider. It requires boards to evaluate an incarcerated person's institutional record, release plans, victim input (including statements about post-sentencing threats), deportation status, sentence length, and prior criminal history. The bill replaces the term "inmate" with "incarcerated person" throughout the law and mandates toll-free victim access and written reports for victim statements. It takes effect immediately, focusing on concrete procedural changes to parole assessments.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New York public school districts (except New York City) to employ certified school psychologists and licensed school social workers to provide mental health services. It amends education law to mandate these professionals as part of required school mental health services, including evaluations, assessments, and interventions for students' mental health needs. The law specifies these roles must be in addition to staff required under federal special education law (IDEA), directly affecting every public school district and all students attending those schools. The bill defines the scope of services, including confidentiality protocols and school environment recommendations, without altering existing health service requirements.

Improves transparency in the insurance claims process; regulates insurance adjusting professionals; institutes licensing standards for insurance professionals; ensures timely responses to insurance claims; enhances policyholder protections.

Protects New Yorkers from unnecessary inquiry into immigration status by state agencies, employees, or departments and restricts the access of federal immigration authorities' to state buildings.

Prohibits the search, with or without a warrant, of geolocation and keyword data of a group of people who are under no individual suspicion of having committed a crime, but rather are defined by having been at a given location at a given time or searched particular words, phrases, character strings, or websites.

Maddy summaryS 656 requires new homes built with certain New York state or federal financial assistance to include basic accessibility features for people with disabilities. It mandates step-free entrances, 36-inch wide interior doors, environmental controls at accessible heights (15-48 inches above floor), and specific bathroom requirements including grab bar reinforcements and minimum clear floor space. The law applies to detached single-family homes, ground-floor townhouses, or ground-floor units in buildings with three or fewer units. Exclusions cover sites with physically unreasonable constraints and certain mortgage-backed loans (like FHA or Fannie Mae). Violations carry civil penalties of $50-$500 per offense.

Establishes a joint legislative committee on racial equity in New York state to review and prepare a racial equity impact assessment on all legislation that is reported favorably to both houses of the legislature.

Relates to the effectiveness of provisions of law relating to the powers of the chairman and members of the state liquor authority (Part A); authorizes special permits to remain open during certain hours of the morning (Part B); permits certain retail licensees to purchase wine and liquor from certain other retail licensees (Part C); relates to permissible sales by license holders (Part D); allows multiple off-premises licenses (Part E); relates to licensing restrictions for manufacturers and wholesalers of alcoholic beverages and retail licensees (Part F); relates to the approval of seven day licenses to sell liquor at retail for consumption off the premises (Part G); adjusts licensing fees regarding certain alcoholic beverages (Part H); relates to changes of ownership of a licensed business (Part I); relates to the issuance of temporary retail permits; makes permanent certain provisions relating to liquidator's permits and temporary retail permits (Part J); establishes a temporary wholesale permit and allows multiple wholesale licenses owned by the same person or entity to be located at the same premises (Part K); relates to licenses issued for on-premises consumption within a certain distance of a building occupied as a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship with consent of such building's owner or administrator (Part L); permits licenses for premises located within five hundred feet of other premises outside of certain counties (Part M).

Relates to establishing the crime of coercive control; provides that a person is guilty of coercive control when such person engages in a course of conduct against a member of such person's same family or household, without the victim's consent, which results in limiting or restricting, in full or in part, the victim's behavior, movement, associations or access to or use of such victim's own finances or financial information; provides that coercive control is a class E felony.

Relates to notification and hearings for proposed construction or removal of bicycle lanes or racks; requires a presentation at a public hearing when the department of transportation proposes to construct or remove a bicycle lane or rack; defines terms.