Sen. Peter Oberacker

Maddy summaryS 58 creates a new criminal offense for making threats of violence against police officers, classifying it as a class C felony. The bill defines the crime as threatening to commit violence against an officer with the intent to intimidate civilians, influence government policy, or disrupt government operations. It explicitly states that lacking the intent or ability to carry out the threat is not a valid defense. This law directly affects individuals who make such threats, imposing felony penalties rather than lesser offenses. The bill aims to strengthen legal consequences for threats targeting law enforcement personnel.

Authorizes municipalities to fund training of firefighters; allows a municipality to recoup the cost of sending a firefighter to training school from another municipality that hires that firefighter within three years of their training.

Provides that the court may, in its discretion, dispense with the defendant's personal appearance at an arraignment and conduct an electronic arraignment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1943) expands New York's hate crime definition to include trespassing at religious buildings like churches, synagogues, mosques, or other houses of worship. It directly affects individuals who commit trespass at these locations while targeting someone based on their race, religion, gender identity, or other protected characteristics. The key change amends the penal law to add these locations to the list of places where a hate crime can be charged, raising the offense level if convicted. This creates a specific legal pathway for prosecuting bias-motivated trespass at religious sites.

Maddy summaryThis bill elevates assaulting a code enforcement official to a class D felony (second-degree assault), making it a more serious criminal charge. It directly affects code enforcement officials (who inspect buildings, zoning, and health codes) and individuals who assault them, by adding them to a list of protected personnel under New York's assault law. The key change is expanding the existing penal law to specifically include code enforcement officials among those whose assault carries felony penalties, rather than lesser offenses. This policy shift increases potential legal consequences for violence against these public safety workers.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates all fees for lifetime sporting licenses (hunting, fishing, trapping, archery, and muzzle-loading) for honorably discharged veterans certified with a 40% or greater service-connected disability. It directly affects eligible veterans by adding a new $0.00 fee category to the existing license structure under Section 11-0702 of the environmental conservation law. The key mechanism modifies the fee schedule to specify that this group pays no fee for lifetime licenses, while other categories (like standard age-based fees) remain unchanged. The policy change is permanent upon enactment, as the bill takes effect immediately.

Maddy summaryS 2337 defines "residence" for sex offender registry purposes as any place a convicted sex offender lives, stays, or plans to stay for more than two days per week. This change directly affects individuals required to register under the sex offender registry act by clarifying where they must report their primary living location. The bill establishes a clear threshold - more than two days weekly - to determine what qualifies as a "residence" for registry compliance. The definition takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a tax credit for New York resident volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers who pay for fishing or hunting licenses. It allows them to claim a credit equal to the full cost of those licenses (including tags and permits) against their state income tax. The credit applies only to those who served as active volunteers for the entire previous year, and any unused portion can be carried forward to future tax years. The credit becomes effective for tax years beginning January 1, 2026.

Provides for the establishment of a method for determining the lowest responsible bidder when negotiating state contracts that would incorporate quantifiable fiscal benefits.

Provides for a grace period until July 1, 2025, in which former employees of the department of corrections and community supervision that participated in a strike may return to full duty without discipline.