Sen. Lea Webb

Maddy summarySenate Resolution J 807 commends Timothy Jaccard for his designation as a recipient of the New York State Senate Liberty Medal. This resolution recognizes Jaccard for his humanitarian efforts, including founding the AMT Children of Hope Foundation and spearheading the national movement for "Safe Haven" laws.

Prohibits correctional facilities from denying entry to peer support advocates who are certified or licensed and are participating in the provision of corrections-based substance use disorder treatment and transition services based on such advocates' prior history of incarceration.

Maddy summaryBill J 812 is a Senate Resolution that asks Governor Kathy Hochul to officially proclaim March 26, 2025, as Bangladesh Independence Day in the State of New York. This resolution aims to recognize the cultural heritage and contributions of Bangladeshi Americans in the state.

Maddy summaryBill S 3831 amends the state's penal law regarding the crime of persistent sexual abuse. Currently, a person can be charged with persistent sexual abuse if they commit certain sexual abuse offenses and have two or more prior convictions for similar crimes within a ten-year period, excluding time incarcerated. This bill removes that ten-year time limit for prior convictions. As a result, any qualifying past convictions, regardless of when they occurred, would count towards a charge of persistent sexual abuse, affecting how individuals with multiple past sexual abuse convictions are prosecuted for subsequent offenses.

Maddy summaryThis resolution memorializes Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 28, 2025, as Workers' Memorial Day in the State of New York. The aim is to honor workers who have been killed, injured, or made ill on the job and to renew advocacy for safety and health protections.

Prohibits public employers from diminishing health insurance benefits provided to Medicare-eligible retirees and their Medicare-eligible 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.

Maddy summaryBill S 7470 requires health insurers and plans to grant automatic preauthorization approvals to eligible health care professionals for specific services. A health care professional qualifies for this if an insurer has approved at least 90% of their preauthorization requests for that particular service during the most recent six-month evaluation period. Once a professional has automatic approval, the corresponding health care service is deemed medically necessary, and the insurer must promptly pay the full claim without denial, reduction, or retroactive recoupment. Insurers are required to conduct initial and annual evaluations to determine eligibility for these automatic approvals.

Maddy summaryBill S 7458 aims to support international debt relief initiatives for developing countries experiencing significant debt by regulating the recovery of certain claims in New York. It proposes that claims against these "eligible states," incurred before they seek international debt relief, can only be recovered if specific conditions are met. These conditions include adhering to international standards for equitable cost-sharing among all creditors, meeting robust disclosure requirements, and limiting recovery to the proportion the U.S. federal government would recover under the same initiative. The bill seeks to ensure that debt relief costs are allocated fairly among all creditors, rather than falling disproportionately on New York residents and taxpayers.

Enacts the student suicide prevention act; requires the governing board or body of every local educational agency serving students in grades seven to twelve, to adopt policies, procedures and guidelines on student suicide prevention, intervention and postvention for students in such grades.

Maddy summaryS 3437 prohibits the approval of any new for-profit hospices or expansions of existing for-profit hospice capacity. It directly affects for-profit hospice operators by banning new licenses and preventing increases in beds or services for currently operating for-profit facilities. The bill amends public health law to require all hospice approvals (on or after its effective date) to exclude for-profit models entirely. The measure takes effect immediately upon enactment.