Sen. Samra Brouk

Permits coverage under Child Health Plus to take effect retroactively to the first day of the month in which the application was submitted for children who meet the eligibility criteria, provided that the applicant for insurance submits a completed and signed application and required information and documentation within sixty days of the child's birth.

Establishes a youth mental health advisory board consisting of youths aged 16-20 to examine and make recommendations for legislation and initiatives regarding issues of youth mental health including social media, bullying, substance use, trauma, poverty and access to services.

Enacts the Educational Rights Transparency for New York Families Act, to establish standards for resource based educational rights of students within the state and implement a system of self-assessment and reporting by schools and school districts.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's civil service law to clarify who qualifies as a "public employer" and "public employee." It explicitly adds the unified court system and the state legislature to the list of public employers, meaning court staff and legislative employees would now fall under civil service rules. The bill also confirms that judges, justices, and legislators themselves remain excluded from the definition of "public employee." These changes take effect immediately upon enactment. The bill focuses solely on defining coverage under civil service law, not on creating new policies or benefits.

Maddy summaryBill S 7971 expands the regulatory framework for child day care to include "outdoor nature-based childcare programs," affecting children aged four and older and their providers. It defines these programs as caring for children for over three hours daily, primarily outdoors or in specific structures like yurts during inclement weather. These programs must be located on at least seven contiguous acres of open land, a farm, or a nature preserve. The bill mandates that the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) license these programs and establish contextually appropriate regulations, including staff-to-child ratios and sanitation standards for features like composting toilets. It also extends existing provisions regarding parental access and grounds for license actions to these new outdoor childcare programs.

Enacts the New York child data privacy protection act to prevent the exploitation of children's data; requires data controllers to assess the impact of its products on children for review by the bureau of internet and technology.

Requires child protective services to orally and in writing disclose certain information to parents and caretakers who are the subject of a child protective services investigation; requires such oral and written disclosure to contain certain information regarding the rights of the person under investigation.

Enacts the "Supervising Upcoming Professionals for Practice in Official Roles in Therapy (SUPPORT) act"; provides that for licensure as a clinical social worker, an applicant may satisfy the experience requirements under supervision of a mental health practitioner who has been granted the privilege to diagnose and develop assessment-based treatment plans under article one hundred sixty-three of the education law.

Relates to the time period during which absentee ballots shall be mailed or delivered after an application for such ballot is received by the board of elections.

Expands the definition of wellness programs to include a program to address the impacts of technology use on the mental and physical well-being of youth.