Sen. Luis Sepúlveda

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals a requirement that applicants must pass an examination to become a licensed master social worker. It directly affects individuals seeking this specific license by removing the exam hurdle. The bill removes paragraph (d) of subdivision 1 of section 7704 in the education law, which previously mandated the exam. This is a procedural change to licensing rules with no new requirements added.

Establishes the Terry Cooper autopsy accountability act requiring autopsy reports to include all photographs of the body, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays taken by, at the direction of, or reviewed by the person performing the autopsy.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New York law enforcement agencies from using or contracting for DNA phenotyping services, which predict physical traits like eye color, skin tone, or ancestry from DNA. It bans any evidence derived from such analysis from being used in criminal investigations, arrests, or court proceedings, and requires existing DNA phenotyping data held by police to be destroyed immediately. Convictions based on this evidence would be eligible for review under existing legal procedures. The law applies directly to police departments and criminal cases within New York State.

Maddy summaryS 3696 establishes the New York State Promise Program, providing tuition waivers for eligible students enrolled in New York community colleges. To qualify, students must be New York residents for at least one year, have completed high school or earned a GED in New York within six months of enrollment, maintain a 2.5 GPA, file the FAFSA, and not exceed 90 college credits. The waiver covers tuition costs (after deducting $50 and other aid) up to the actual tuition or $1,000, whichever is greater, but not exceeding average community college tuition. The state appropriates $450 million for the program, with annual grant spending capped at $10 million. The program requires annual reports on student completion rates, financial impacts, and program effectiveness.

Enacts the Educational Rights Transparency for New York Families Act, to establish standards for resource based educational rights of students within the state and implement a system of self-assessment and reporting by schools and school districts.

Provides that when a housing accommodation has been vacated after continuous tenancy or occupancy of ten years or more prior to vacancy, and the owner can demonstrate restoration of the unit, the new legal regulated rent shall be the rent agreed to by the owner and first tenant after such restoration and reserved in a lease or other rental agreement; makes related provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 5806) prohibits law enforcement from using New York's state DNA identification index to conduct familial DNA searches, which would identify potential relatives of a person whose DNA is in the database. It directly affects law enforcement agencies and the Commission on Forensic Science, which manages the DNA index. The key mechanism is an explicit ban in the law: it amends policies to require standards that "prohibit a familial DNA search" and adds a new rule stating "No search may be performed... for the purpose of identification of an offender... if the offender may be a biological relative." The law takes effect immediately, nullifying any conflicting existing rules.

Conforms the definition of an incarcerated individual with a serious mental illness to the definition of "person with a serious mental illness" in the mental hygiene law.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's civil service law to clarify who qualifies as a "public employer" and "public employee." It explicitly adds the unified court system and the state legislature to the list of public employers, meaning court staff and legislative employees would now fall under civil service rules. The bill also confirms that judges, justices, and legislators themselves remain excluded from the definition of "public employee." These changes take effect immediately upon enactment. The bill focuses solely on defining coverage under civil service law, not on creating new policies or benefits.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York State correctional facilities to move incarcerated individuals diagnosed with specific serious mental illnesses (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression) out of segregated confinement or long-term rehabilitation units into specialized residential mental health treatment units. It mandates this diversion after consultation with mental health clinicians, applying to anyone diagnosed at any time with one of the listed conditions, unless the move relates to a disciplinary hearing. The policy aims to replace prolonged solitary confinement with appropriate mental health treatment for affected individuals. This change directly impacts incarcerated people with qualifying mental health diagnoses currently held in restrictive settings.