Sen. Monica Martinez

Ensures accountability of executives in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for service disruptions or delays that occur on the MTA's subway, bus, and commuter rail systems; provides the pay of all executives in the authority shall be frozen for each year in which there is an increase in service disruptions or delays on the MTA's subway, bus, and commuter rail systems until the MTA's service disruptions and delays return to their previous level or are reduced; provides for penalties and enforcement.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1200) allows veterans to earn academic credit at New York State and City University systems for military training they completed. Specifically, full-time undergraduate veterans enrolled in good standing at these institutions can receive full credit toward their degree for military courses meeting American Council on Education standards - without any fees or tuition charges. It applies to veterans who served honorably in active duty, reserves, or New York National Guard/Militia. The law requires university boards to create procedures for implementing this credit transfer.

Provides for the sealing of unfounded, exonerated, and pending claims made against law enforcement officers; requires such claims to be redacted from disciplinary records.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases penalties for sex trafficking offenses under New York law. It amends two sections of the penal code to upgrade sex trafficking (from class B to class A-II felony) and sex trafficking of a child (from class B to class A-II felony). These changes make the punishments more severe for individuals convicted of these crimes. The law takes effect on November 1st following its enactment. The bill directly affects people convicted of sex trafficking or trafficking children in New York State.

Defines the term "construction projects" to mean the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or improvement of any school building where a district receives any apportionment for debt service or building aid and the school building is sited within the Long Island region; provides that each contract involving the award of a construction project shall require the use of a project labor agreement for all contractors and subcontractors on such project.

Adds xylazine to the depressants designated as controlled substances with the exception of use in cattle or other nonhuman species if approved by the federal food and drug administration.

Enacts the affordable waste reduction act"; defines terms; provides for registration of producer responsibility organizations and service providers; establishes the producer responsibility advisory board; provides for department of environmental conservation responsibilities; provides for producer responsibility advisory board, organization, producer and service provider responsibilities; creates a recyclable or compostable covered materials lists and exempt materials list; establishes producer fees; provides for service provider reimbursement; makes related provisions.

Requires motorists to exercise care to avoid colliding with any domestic or companion animal; increases fines and penalties for causing such injury and for leaving the scene of injury to certain animals without reporting.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new offense called "aggravated reckless driving" for cases where reckless driving causes actual harm to a person or property. It defines this as a more serious class A misdemeanor (compared to standard reckless driving, which is a lower-level misdemeanor) and specifies that defendants charged with this offense may be released on bail. The law applies to drivers who endanger others or damage property while operating a vehicle, including in private parking lots used for business access (with four+ spaces), but excludes single-family residential driveways. This changes the legal consequences for drivers whose actions directly cause injury or property damage.

Maddy summaryBill S 7021 establishes a new retirement service credit for members of New York State public retirement systems who serve as volunteer firefighters or emergency service providers. Eligible members can receive one year of service credit for every five years of volunteer service, up to a maximum of three years of credit for fifteen years of service. To qualify, members must have at least five years of existing credited service and will pay a portion of the cost, calculated as three percent of their compensation for the twelve months preceding the application. The bill requires volunteer service to be certified by the agency and applications to be submitted before retirement.