Sen. James Skoufis

Authorizes the imposition of penalties on subcontractors for failure to adhere to the standards for prompt, fair and equitable settlement of claims for health care and payments for health care services.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new enforcement mechanism allowing certain workers, whistleblowers, or labor organizations to file public lawsuits on behalf of New York's labor department to address violations of specific labor laws. It enables private parties to initiate enforcement actions for issues like unpaid wages or misclassification (covered under Articles 5, 6, 9, 19, 19-A, 19-B, and 25-A), with civil penalties collected going to the state treasury. The law aims to supplement limited public enforcement resources by empowering workers and organizations to act as "private attorneys general" while protecting whistleblowers from retaliation. It explicitly excludes government agencies as targets and applies only to violations covered by designated labor law sections.

Ensures that construction and fabrication done off of a public work site for specific use only in a public work project be compensated at the prevailing wage rate.

Authorizes increased equity withdrawals by certain non-public residential health care facilities; establishes the nursing home worker recruitment and safety fund.

Provides an option for beneficiaries of NYC transit authority members to receive a lump sum equal to the pension reserve where a member who is eligible for a service retirement dies prior to filing for retirement.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 6437) allows New York City police officers who previously worked as assistant district attorneys or examining attorneys for the NYPD corruption commission to count that prior service toward their pension benefits. To qualify, officers must transfer their member contributions plus 5% annual interest into the NYPD Police Pension Fund. The bill applies only to service before joining the police department and requires losing any credited service in the NYC Employees Retirement System upon transfer. It directly affects NYC police officers with prior legal roles in specific city agencies.

Provides that beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, certain graduate students shall be required to pay 25% of all current and future mandatory university fees; provides that in the 2027-2028 academic year and thereafter, no mandatory university fees shall be charged, with the exclusion of the graduate student association student activity fee.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 5170) allows a plaintiff who has won a court judgment against a defendant to directly collect unpaid amounts from a third party (like a co-defendant or other liable party) who owes money to the defendant for contribution or indemnification. Specifically, if the original judgment remains unpaid 30 days after being served, the plaintiff can recover up to the amount the defendant was awarded against the third party. It does not apply to workers' compensation cases or allow plaintiffs to sue their own employer. The change streamlines judgment collection by letting plaintiffs step into the defendant’s legal position against the third party.

Enacts the "fostering affordability and integrity through reasonable (FAIR) business practices act", to expand the attorney general's ability to protect New Yorkers from unfair, deceptive and abusive business practices.

Requires peer-to-peer car sharing programs provide insurance coverage in amounts equal to the financial responsibility requirements set forth in section three hundred eleven of the vehicle and traffic law; removes requirements relating to requiring additional insurance coverage.