Sen. Nathalia Fernández

Maddy summaryS 2168 allows the New York State Thruway Authority to offer a 50% toll discount to eligible farmers transporting agricultural products. This discount applies only to farmers who qualify for a specific tax exemption under New York Tax Law §606(a)(2)(A), requiring them to provide their exemption certificate to receive E-ZPass tags. The discount covers regular toll rates (not surcharges) and excludes non-commercial vehicle travel. It will take effect January 1, 2027, directly benefiting farmers meeting the tax exemption criteria under Agriculture and Markets Law.

Waives the state's sovereign immunity in state and federal courts with regard to liability for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act; waives the immunity of all instrumentalities and political subdivisions of the state.

Relates to securing payment of wages for work already performed; creates a lien remedy for all employees; provides grounds for attachment; relates to procedures where employees may hold shareholders of non-publicly traded corporations personally liable for wage theft; relates to rights for victims of wage theft to hold the ten members with the largest ownership interests in a company personally liable for wage theft.

Relates to decreasing the length of the suspension period applicable to certain individuals who lose their jobs due to a labor dispute, such as a strike, and who seek to obtain unemployment insurance benefits; decreases the suspension period from two consecutive weeks to one week; provides that the waiting period and suspension period shall be served concurrently.

Allows for reasonable accommodations for the examination portion of licensure requirements to become a social worker for individuals for whom English is not their primary language and a test in their primary language is not available.

Relates to the salaries of certain teachers and aides employed by boards of cooperative educational services; puts limits on certain administrative and clerical expenses.

Establishes a co-navigation services program for persons who are deaf-blind to provide services to a person who is deaf-blind that assist the person to physically access the person's environment and to make informed decisions, including providing visual and environmental information or sighted guide services and assisting with communication accessibility by communicating in the preferred language and communication mode of the person who is deaf-blind.

Requires federally qualified health centers and rural health centers cover the cost of all ovulation enhancing drugs dispensed and other covered entities pursuant to section 340B of the federal public health service act.

Maddy summaryS 4265 requires sellers of residential properties built before 1978 to provide lead-based paint inspection reports before closing sales. This directly affects home sellers and buyers in New York State, ensuring buyers know if lead paint hazards exist in properties they're purchasing. The bill mandates a one-time lead paint inspection prior to sale (not ongoing inspections) and requires the report to be included in the state's lead inspection registry. It complements existing laws by closing a gap where federal rules only required disclosure of known hazards, not mandatory testing.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York's social services department to create a plan ensuring people with limited English proficiency (LEP) and others needing communication assistance can access services. It mandates translating key documents into the 12 most common non-English languages in the state (based on census data) and offering interpretation services on request. The law also requires providing communication support for individuals with disabilities affecting hearing, vision, speech, or cognition. These provisions apply to social services programs and aim to improve accessibility for vulnerable populations.