Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal

Establishes an assumption of the inadmissibility of evidence of a defendant's creative or artistic expression against such defendant in a criminal proceeding; requires the proffering party to affirmatively prove that the evidence is admissible by clear and convincing evidence.

Provides retroactivity to the original date of eligibility for the senior citizens rent increase exemption (SCRIE) and disability rent increase exemption (DRIE).

Requires all agencies to submit to the committee on open government a log of all freedom of information law requests for each year in which they received or have pending a request for records; requires the committee on open government to publish, on one webpage, all freedom of information law request logs it receives.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates state transportation laws to ensure that buses serving people with disabilities are available within a three-mile radius of any fixed bus route. It mandates that new buses added to transit fleets must be accessible to individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility aids, with specific exceptions for temporary shortages and vehicles with a useful life of six years or less. The legislation applies to both the state transportation authority and its subsidiaries, as well as other transportation providers operating local fixed-route services. By requiring accessible vehicles in this expanded service area, the bill aims to improve mobility options for disabled passengers across a wider geographic range.

Amends procedures required for the custodial interrogation of children to provide additional protections and for taking juveniles and sixteen and seventeen year olds into custody.

Enables public libraries to access employment preparation education (EPE) funds to provide adult literacy education; sets aside one million dollars to be awarded through a competitive grant process; provides that half of such appropriation shall be set aside for libraries serving a population of one million or more.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New York State election laws to clarify how early voting and voter registration polling places are designated. It allows religious buildings to serve as polling locations without requiring them to open on Saturdays if that conflicts with their beliefs, while mandating that public school buildings cannot be used for early voting. The legislation also requires boards of elections to prioritize public buildings for polling sites and outlines specific rules for using other tax-exempt or state-funded buildings, including provisions for accessibility and the ability for building owners to request cancellation of a designation. These changes apply to all election districts and are intended to take effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to allow courts to admit evidence of a defendant's prior sexual offenses during trials for new sexual crimes. The key provision permits judges to consider this past behavior to determine if the defendant acted in a similar manner or has a tendency to commit such acts. However, the bill also gives judges the discretion to exclude this evidence if its negative impact on a fair trial outweighs its usefulness in proving the case. The definition of "sexual offense" includes various crimes listed in the state penal code, and the changes would take effect immediately upon passage.

Prohibits public employers from diminishing health insurance benefits provided to retirees and their dependents or the contributions such employer makes for such health insurance coverage below the level of such benefits or contributions made on behalf of such retirees and dependents by the public employer as of December 31, 2021.

Provides that funds recovered from public authorities for the provision of governmental services and allocated to the independent authorities budget office shall only be used for direct expenses of the authorities budget office and may not be used for fringe benefits and indirect costs.