Sen. Pete Harckham

Establishes school based health centers to be organized through school, community, and health provider relationships and provide services in keeping with state and local laws and regulations, as well as established medical standards, and best practices.

Requires all public school districts, charter schools and non-public schools in the state that participate in the national school lunch program or school breakfast program as provided in the national child nutrition act to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to the student.

Protects the rights of people in prisons, jails and forensic facilities; limits the use of cell or segregated confinement; grants access to tablets, visitation, and certain items.

Enacts the bucks for boilers act, which creates a program to aid in transition of housing units to electric heat pumps and other high energy efficiency upgrades.

Establishes the nail salon minimum standards council act; establishes the nail salon minimum standards council which shall investigate wages and standards within the nail salon industry and submit recommendations on minimum wages, regulations and standards for nail salon workers.

Enacts the "gender identity respect, dignity and safety act"; relates to the treatment and placement of incarcerated individuals based upon gender identity; requires that incarcerated individuals in state and local correctional facilities who have a gender identity different from their assigned sex at birth be addressed and have access to commissary items, clothing and other materials that are consistent with the person's gender identity; establishes that incarcerated individuals shall be placed in a correctional facility with persons of the gender that most closely aligns with such person's self-attested gender identity unless the person opts out of such placement.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4123) ensures healthcare providers can continue using independent dispute resolution (IDR) to challenge payment rates from insurers. It directly affects doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers who are not contracted ("non-participating") with health insurance plans. The bill amends criteria that IDR entities must use when setting fair payment rates, requiring them to consider factors like provider qualifications, usual charges for similar services, regional rates for non-participating providers, and service complexity. These changes clarify how disputes over payment rates will be resolved, maintaining access to the IDR process.

Relates to claim settlement practices when an insurer refuses to pay or is delaying payment of a settlement; provides a policyholder a private right of action against such insurer doing business in the state who has refused or delayed payment of an insurance claim.

Prohibits the use of lead ammunition in the taking of wildlife on wildlife management areas, state forests, forest preserves, state parks or any other state-owned land that is open for hunting and on land contributing surface water to the New York city water supply.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a tax credit for businesses that recycle bivalve mollusk shells (like oyster shells), directly benefiting businesses that donate shells to DEC-approved organizations. The credit equals up to $1,000 or 10 cents per pound of certified shells, but cannot lower taxes below the minimum required amount. To qualify, shells must be donated to entities permitted by the DEC to reuse them for oyster reef restoration. The credit applies to taxable years starting January 1, 2025, and requires the DEC to establish verification rules.