Sen. Lea Webb

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate resolution that formally recognizes New York veterans who have been inducted into the 2023 Veterans Hall of Fame. It directly affects the specific individuals listed in the text, who are honored for their military service in various branches of the armed forces. The key mechanism is a ceremonial pause in legislative proceedings to salute these veterans, followed by the official transmission of the resolution to each inductee. This measure serves as a symbolic gesture of appreciation rather than establishing new laws or funding.

Requires the community gardens task force to conduct an assessment of all community gardens located on publicly owned land in the state to facilitate each garden's designation as a critical environmental area.

Requires that a business allow a consumer to cancel a contract between the two parties using the same method that was used to enter into the contract; excludes businesses operating pursuant to certain franchises.

Requires state contractors to submit a statement on preventing human trafficking in bids to the state and maintain a written policy for preventing human trafficking within its operations, business dealings, and supply chain and provide to the state a copy of such policy when submitting such statement.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance policies to cover specific asthma treatments, including prescription devices like spacers and masks, as well as self-management education for patients and their families. It mandates that these benefits apply to individuals with asthma and children under nineteen, with additional school supplies covered for younger patients when prescribed. The legislation allows for coverage of services provided by physicians, nurse practitioners, and certified asthma educators, including group sessions and home visits when medically necessary. Insurance plans may apply standard annual deductibles and coinsurance to these new benefits, and the changes will take effect on January 1st following the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires state agencies and public authorities to establish written procedures for handling protests against contract awards. It defines key terms such as "bidder," "interested party," and "protest" to clarify who can challenge a decision and what constitutes a valid challenge. Under the new rules, agencies must provide clear instructions on how to submit a protest, set a deadline of ten business days after the award notice or five days after a debriefing, outline how disputes will be resolved, and keep records of these protests. The law applies to all state agencies and corporations, ensuring that anyone harmed by a procurement process has a standardized way to seek review.

Establishes the freight rail safety task force to review the state of freight rail safety in the state and make policy and budgetary recommendations related thereto.

Enacts the "voting integrity and verification act of New York (VIVA NY)"; provides that each voter is entitled to the use of an individual, voter verifiable paper ballot of the voter's vote and the opportunity to mark it.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Veteran Family Educational Attainment Act, allows New York State veterans who have unused tuition award benefits to transfer those funds to a spouse, child, or survivor. To qualify for the transfer, the veteran must have served at least ten years, unless their service was cut short due to death, medical issues, hardship, or other specific non-willful reasons. The recipient must be an eligible immediate family member living in the state, with children specifically required to be under twenty-six years old. The legislation also establishes clear definitions for who counts as a "qualified veteran" and "survivor," including spouses married within fifteen years of discharge or those with children born to the veteran.

Relates to requiring the establishment of automatic payment plans; requires utility companies headquartered in New York to establish a statewide program to provide eligible participants with affordable payment plans.