Sen. Bill Weber

Requires child protective services to orally and in writing disclose certain information to parents and caretakers who are the subject of a child protective services investigation; requires such oral and written disclosure to contain certain information regarding the rights of the person under investigation.

Establishes the crimes of deceptive wearing of a mask and aggravated deceptive wearing of a mask; makes such crimes a class B misdemeanor and a class A misdemeanor, respectively.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires school districts with 25% or more students attending nonpublic schools to stop providing certain educational services (like special education or counseling) directly to those students. Instead, nonpublic schools must provide these services themselves, submit electronic certifications of service delivery to the state education commissioner, and cover all associated costs. The state will review services for compliance and approve all costs. This directly affects districts with high nonpublic enrollment and shifts responsibility for specific services from public districts to nonpublic schools.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 224) amends New York's penal law to upgrade the felony classifications for unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle (from E to D felony for third degree, D to C for second degree, and C for first degree). It also adds these specific fleeing offenses to the list of crimes subject to bail eligibility determinations under criminal procedure law. Under the changes, courts must evaluate whether a defendant charged with such fleeing offenses (third, second, or first degree) should be released on bail or held, considering factors like "harm to an identifiable person or property" as outlined in sections 510.10, 530.20, and 530.40. This affects individuals charged with these fleeing offenses during bail hearings.

Maddy summaryS 6559 would allow local governments (counties, cities, towns, villages, or school districts) to provide a 100% property tax exemption for veterans who served in combat zones and are 100% permanently disabled due to military service, or their unmarried surviving spouses. This exemption would apply directly to the property tax bill for eligible veterans, bypassing any local limits on standard property tax exemptions. Localities would choose whether to implement this option, and the exemption would apply to properties assessed on or after January 1, 2025. The bill does not require localities to adopt this exemption but provides a new option for those that choose to do so.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 6708) creates a new civil service provision allowing spouses or children of military personnel killed in combat during wartime to receive priority in state or local government hiring. It requires applicants to provide documentary proof of eligibility within two months of applying, and those who fail to prove eligibility by the time an hiring list is established lose the status. The provision applies only to deaths occurring "in the performance of duty in time of war," not peacetime service, and prevents individuals who already received a permanent appointment through this status from receiving additional priority.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York law to allow courts to issue **lifetime orders of protection** when the respondent is convicted of specific violent felonies, including sexual assault under Penal Law sections 255.25-255.27 or felonies in Penal Law articles 120, 125, 130, 135, or 263 (or attempts to commit them). Previously, such orders had fixed time limits (up to 8 years), but this change adds "lifetime" as a duration option for these high-risk cases. The law directly affects victims of domestic violence or abuse where the perpetrator received one of these felony convictions. It does not apply to lesser offenses or non-felony cases.

Increases Rockland county's annual minimum allocation through the MTA Dutchess-Orange-Rockland Fund (DORF) from two million dollars to ten million dollars.

Excludes the five state-run veterans homes from assessments on their gross receipts received from all patient care services and other operating income; directs the Commissioner of Health to apply to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for any necessary waivers pursuant to federal law and regulation.

Relates to requiring coverage for volunteer firefighters for full cancer screenings upon entry of service to a fire department or fire company and annually thereafter; provides that the costs of such screenings shall be covered by the state.