Sen. Samra Brouk

Requires that public schools provide instruction on climate change, including but not limited to identifying the causes and impacts of climate change on individuals, environments and communities, and learning to evaluate solutions.

Establishes a Black Leadership Institute within the state university of New York as an initiative for Black leaders in higher education with a mission to retain and grow from within SUNY a greater proportion of Black professionals at SUNY campuses; creates an eight member advisory council.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires psychologists in New York to complete three hours of diversity, equity, and inclusion coursework during each three-year registration period as part of their mandatory continuing education. It directly affects all licensed psychologists renewing their registration, alongside existing requirements for three hours of ethics training. The law specifies that this DEI coursework must be part of approved learning activities, with non-compliance resulting in denial of registration or practice authorization. The requirement applies immediately to all psychologists, including those with first registration dates after January 1, 2021, on a prorated basis.

Permits an exception from registration for nonresident pharmacies in cases of a specific patient need or a declared public health emergency under certain conditions.

Establishes the New York Health program, a comprehensive system of access to health insurance for New York state residents; provides for administrative structure of the plan; provides for powers and duties of the board of trustees, the scope of benefits, payment methodologies and care coordination; establishes the New York Health Trust Fund which would hold monies from a variety of sources to be used solely to finance the plan; enacts provisions relating to financing of New York Health, including a payroll assessment, similar to the Medicare tax; establishes a temporary commission on implementation of the plan; provides for collective negotiations by health care providers with New York Health.

Enacts the "Consumer and Small business Protection Act"; relates to standing for persons affected by prohibited or unlawful business practices; expands prohibited acts to include unfair, deceptive or abusive acts.

Protects people from civil arrest while within one thousand feet of a sensitive location, unless such civil arrest is supported by a judicial warrant or judicial order authorizing such civil arrest.

Requires businesses that allow automatic renewals, continuous service offers, and automatic subscription renewals to provide notice regarding cancelling such renewals, services, or subscriptions.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 987) requires health insurance plans to cover at least one abuse-deterrent opioid pain medication per active ingredient, ensuring patients can access FDA-approved options designed to reduce misuse. It prohibits higher copays or deductibles for these medications compared to standard opioids and bans prior authorization rules that force patients to try non-abuse-deterrent opioids first. The law applies to all insurance plans covering opioid pain medications, directly affecting patients, insurers, and healthcare providers. Key provisions mandate equal cost-sharing for abuse-deterrent and non-abuse-deterrent versions and prevent insurers from adding financial barriers to access these medications. The bill takes effect 120 days after enactment for new or renewed insurance policies.

Establishes the commission of the deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing; requires the commission of the deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing to transmit complaints in matters affecting the deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing communities to the vulnerable persons' central register; repeals provisions relating to the New York state interagency coordinating council for services to persons who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing.