Sen. Lea Webb

Maddy summaryThis bill asks Governor Kathy Hochul to officially designate March 2026 as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in New York State. The resolution aims to raise public awareness about problem gambling and encourage people to learn about prevention, treatment, and recovery resources. It highlights statistics showing that problem gambling affects hundreds of thousands of adults and students in the state, particularly as mobile sports betting continues to grow. The bill does not create new laws or funding but serves as a formal proclamation to promote awareness during a designated month.

Establishes the rare disease advisory council to identify best practices, raise awareness regarding rare diseases, evaluate barriers to access to care, and to make recommendations to the legislature and the governor.

Maddy summaryBill S 5432 increases various disability benefits for volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers injured in the line of duty. It doubles the weekly permanent total disability benefit from $600 to $1200 and raises the maximum combined earnings and benefits for severely injured volunteers from $800 to $1600. The bill also significantly increases temporary total disability benefits, setting a rate of $650 per week for injuries from July 2021 to June 2025, and $800 per week for injuries occurring after July 2025. These adjustments aim to provide enhanced financial support to volunteers experiencing disabilities from their service.

Maddy summaryS 7117 authorizes New York's Correctional Association to inspect all types of juvenile detention facilities - including secure, non-secure, and residential divisions - operated by the Office of Children and Family Services. The bill requires unannounced facility visits, review of incident reports, and immediate reporting of suspected abuse to relevant agencies. It also mandates annual public reports on facility conditions and establishes a confidential hotline for youth to report maltreatment, with Prisoners' Legal Services empowered to represent affected youth. The law directly affects juveniles in detention, facility operators, and oversight bodies, focusing on transparency and safety without altering facility operations or funding.

Maddy summaryS 2400 creates a workgroup to study blood clots and pulmonary embolisms in the state. The workgroup, appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, will include healthcare providers, patients, family members, and advocates. It must study annual incidence rates, current data collection methods, patient impacts, care standards, emerging treatments, and develop a risk surveillance system. The workgroup will issue policy recommendations within one year to improve patient awareness, surveillance in healthcare facilities (like hospitals), and written risk notices for patients. These recommendations will be published by the health department after submission.

Requires hospitals to have a registered professional nurse as a sitting and voting member of the governing entity responsible for developing a hospital's strategic plan, structure, systems, policies and programs.

Requires the owner, licensee or operator of a generative artificial intelligence system to conspicuously display a notice on the system's user interface that is reasonably calculated to consistently apprise the user that the outputs of the generative artificial intelligence system may be inaccurate.

Prohibits an employer, licensing agency or employment agency from requesting or requiring that a prospective employee disclose their age, date of birth or date of graduation from an educational institution on an initial employment application or during an interview, except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need.

Relates to expanding the definition of agency; includes entities created by an agency or that are governed by a board of directors or similar body a majority of which is designated by one or more state or local government officials in the definition of agency under the public officers law.

Establishes a captive insurance program for commuter vans, black cars, ambulettes and paratransit vehicles, small school buses, and charter buses that are engaged in the business of carrying or transporting nine to twenty-four passengers for hire; pre-arranged for-hire vehicles and accessible vehicles; defines terms.