Sen. Michelle Hinchey

Maddy summaryThis bill changes New York's career education funding by starting aid for students in grade nine (instead of grade ten) and increasing the per-pupil aid amount from $3,900 to $4,300. It directly affects school districts operating career programs in trade, industrial, technical, agricultural, health, or business/marketing fields. The funding formula adjusts for district wealth and requires districts to maintain minimum spending levels on career education, with the changes taking effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Prohibits governmental entities from entering into agreements to house individuals in immigration detention facilities; requires governmental entities to terminate existing contracts for the detention of individuals in immigration detention facilities.

Prohibits the diminution of health insurance benefits of public employee retirees and their dependents or reducing the employer's contributions for such insurance; defines employers to include the state, municipalities, school districts, and public authorities and commissions.

Establishes an unemployment bridge program and an unemployment bridge program fund to provide wage replacement to workers that do not qualify for unemployment insurance or other worker wage assistance programs and who have lost a major source of income due to lost work (Part A); establishes the "Digital Ad Tax Act (DATA)" creating a tax on digital advertising services (Part B).

Requires that a claimant alleging that the contents of a website or mobile application that describes goods and services provided at a place of public accommodation constitutes an unlawful discriminatory practice against visually and hearing impaired individuals serve written notice on the owner and provide 60 days to cure the alleged violation prior to commencing an action.

Provides for the designation by a general hospital of persons to identify infectious disease processes, conduct surveillance and epidemiologic investigations, and develop plans to prevent and control the transmission of infectious agents within general hospitals.

Maddy summaryThis bill, S 3144, expands the required service area for accessible paratransit transportation. It mandates that accessible buses be available within a service area measuring three miles from any bus line operated by a transportation authority or its subsidiaries. This provision applies to both existing requirements for a percentage of accessible buses and the mandate for 100% accessible fixed-route buses, aiming to ensure broader geographical access for transportation-disabled persons, including those in wheelchairs.

Requires the department of education to develop school health and mental health professionals to student ratios in public schools for students who do not receive services pursuant to the individuals with disabilities education act.

Relates to returnable bottles; adds noncarbonated soft drinks, certain noncarbonated fruit or vegetable juices, coffee and tea beverages, carbonated fruit beverages and cider to the definition of "beverage"; provides that beginning April 1, 2027, the handling fee will be six cents for each beverage container accepted by a deposit initiator from a dealer or operator of a redemption center; directs the multi-agency bottle bill fraud investigation team to submit a report on findings of pervasive bottle redemption fraud in New York state.

Prohibits health care practitioners from performing a virginity examination or supervising the performance of a virginity examination on a patient; defines "virginity examination".