Sen. Rachel May

Relates to requiring board of inspectors be employees of certain facilities; requires board of inspectors be employees of nursing homes, residential health care facilities, facilities operated or licensed, or under the jurisdiction of, the department of mental hygiene or hospitals or facilities operated by the Veteran's Administration of the United States.

Relates to violations of safety conditions in adult care facilities; provides penalties for safety violations and operating without a valid license; prohibits reductions in fines in certain circumstances where a patient is endangered or harmed.

Relates to state government integrity including the creation of a New York state government integrity commission.

Provides that if, as a result of services performed in line of duty during a state of emergency, a volunteer firefighter or volunteer ambulance worker is exposed to or comes in contact with COVID-19, the chief engineer or other executive officer of the fire department or fire company or the captain or other executive officer of the ambulance department, volunteer ambulance company or ambulance district of which he or she is a member may authorize such volunteer firefighter or volunteer ambulance worker to obtain such examinations, tests, treatment and care as are immediately necessary to determine whether he or she is injured; further grants a presumption that exposure to COVID-19 caused partial or total disability or death.

Enacts the "marihuana regulation and taxation act"; relates to the description of cannabis, and the growing of and use of cannabis by persons twenty-one years of age or older; makes technical changes regarding the definition of cannabis; relates to removing certain references to marijuana relating to forfeiture actions; relates to the qualification of certain offenses involving cannabis and exempts certain persons from prosecution for the use, consumption, display, production or distribution of cannabis; relates to the definition of smoking; provides for the licensure of persons authorized to produce, process and sell marihuana; levies an excise tax on certain sales of cannabis; repeals certain provisions of the penal law relating to the criminal sale of cannabis and provisions of the general business law relating to drug paraphernalia; creates the New York state cannabis revenue fund, the New York state drug treatment and public education fund and the New York state community grants reinvestment fund.

Requires instruction in pedestrian and bicyclist safety as part of the drivers pre-licensing course to educate prospective licensees on how to safely pass a bicyclist on the road, use of bicycle lanes and the dangers of motorists to bicyclists and pedestrians.

Relates to declining party nominations after primary elections; provides that a certificate to fill a vacancy by declination shall be filed not later than twenty days after such declination has been filed.

Establishes a school voter registration access program to promote student voter registration and pre-registration.

Relates to establishing the housing access voucher program; provides that the commissioner of the division of housing and community renewal shall implement a program of rental assistance in the form of housing vouchers for eligible individuals and families who are homeless or who face an imminent loss of housing; provides that the commissioner shall designate public housing agencies in the state to administer the program.