Sen. Pete Harckham

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the town of Ossining in Westchester County to implement a local hotel occupancy tax. It allows the town to set a tax rate of up to three percent on the rental fees for rooms in hotels, motels, apartment hotels, and boarding houses. The tax revenue collected will be deposited into the town's general fund and can be used for any lawful municipal purpose. The legislation includes specific exemptions for government entities, non-profit organizations, and permanent residents staying for at least thirty consecutive days.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the New York State Veterans Tuition Awards Program to include all resident veterans, regardless of whether they served in combat. Previously, eligibility was limited to veterans who served in specific conflicts after 1961 and received certain expeditionary medals, but this change removes those service restrictions. The law allows any New York resident who served in the U.S. armed forces and received an honorable or qualifying discharge to apply for tuition assistance for undergraduate, graduate, or vocational training programs. Eligible recipients can receive funding equivalent to eight full-time semesters, and the award amount is based on the lower of the actual tuition charged or the rate set by the State University of New York.

Maddy summaryThis law requires payment card networks and merchants to use specific standardized codes to identify businesses that sell firearms and ammunition in New York. Starting in May 2025, these codes must be assigned to licensed gun dealers and ammunition sellers to ensure their transactions are properly categorized. The bill establishes a penalty system where the Attorney General can issue fines of up to $10,000 per violation if a company fails to use the correct codes after receiving a warning. This change aims to improve how financial transactions involving gun sales are tracked and reported across the state.

Authorizes municipalities to offer a real property tax exemption to certain volunteers who live in that municipality but who serve in neighboring municipalities.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the Town of Yorktown in Westchester County to sell a specific 1.173-acre parcel of parkland to a cell tower developer. In exchange for this sale, the town must dedicate an amount equal to or greater than the fair market value of the land toward acquiring new parkland or improving existing recreational facilities. The legislation also ensures that if the town received any federal funding for the land, it must first meet all federal requirements for converting public parkland before the sale can proceed. Once these conditions are met, the town is permitted to discontinue using the designated land as a park and transfer it for telecommunications infrastructure.

Permits the town of Kent, Putnam county, to lease sports field fences for advertisements with the revenues to be used solely for the care of Guglielmo Field.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the laws governing the Volunteer and Exempt Firefighter's Benevolent Association of Mount Kisco to clarify its membership rules, purposes, and financial duties. It defines eligibility for membership to include current and former active volunteer firefighters who have not been removed for cause, while ensuring that those with less than five years of service lose their membership if they withdraw from the fire department. The legislation authorizes the association to collect foreign fire insurance premium taxes from properties within the Mount Kisco fire protection area and mandates that these funds be used exclusively to provide relief, aid, and support for disabled, indigent, or injured volunteer members and their families. Although the law takes effect immediately, the specific provisions regarding tax collection apply only to premiums received on or after January 1, 2025.

Authorizes the assessor of the town of New Castle to accept an application for a real property tax exemption from the Ethical Society of Northern Westchester; provides a waiver for any interest and penalties accrued in the event that the authorization to exempt is not timely granted.

Deems Anthony Varvaro to have died as the natural and proximate result of an accident sustained in the performance of duty so as to permit accidental death benefits to be awarded to his beneficiaries.

Maddy summaryThis bill declares a retirement application submitted by Cynthia Adam on behalf of her late husband, Paul C. Adam, as timely filed despite it being submitted years after the deadline. The legislation specifically addresses the conversion of his service retirement benefits to accidental death benefits related to the 2001 World Trade Center disaster. By retroactively accepting the September 2018 filing, the law ensures that the family can receive the appropriate benefits without penalty. All costs associated with implementing this change are to be covered by the state of New York.