Sen. Tom O'Mara

Enacts the "nuclear energy deployment act"; directs the New York state energy research and development authority, in consultation with the public service commission and the department of environmental conservation, to promulgate rules and regulations to facilitate the construction and operation of advanced nuclear reactors and to review and evaluate certain existing regulations and regulatory actions taken concerning nuclear energy; directs the New York state energy research and development authority to create the position of nuclear energy coordinator; directs the New York state energy research and development authority to administer grants from the nuclear energy deployment fund; establishes the nuclear energy deployment fund.

Maddy summaryBill S 1189 establishes new licensure requirements for entities providing fiscal intermediary services for personal assistance programs. Beginning April 1, 2027, these fiscal intermediaries must obtain a license from the commissioner, a process that includes an application fee and an assessment of their character, competence, and compliance. The bill also broadens the definition of fiscal intermediaries, modifies their annual reporting obligations, and creates a confidential state registry for personal assistants that these intermediaries must maintain. This legislation directly affects fiscal intermediaries, personal assistants, and consumers utilizing these services.

Permits at the discretion of the court certain members of the deceased victim's family to read statements in court during the sentencing of a defendant, rather than allowing only a single member of the victim's family to read a statement in court, upon consultation with counsel for the defendant and the people.

Maddy summaryThis bill grants peace officer status specifically to security personnel employed by Arnot Health, Inc. in Chemung County. It authorizes these officers to enforce laws on public streets and sidewalks adjacent to Arnot Health's hospital, medical office, or clinical properties, but only with limited powers: they may detain individuals briefly while awaiting police, and only for offenses they observe or have probable cause to believe were committed. The bill explicitly states these officers cannot carry firearms without a separate license under state penal law. This is a targeted, procedural change affecting only Arnot Health's security force within their specific facility boundaries.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates multiple taxes on health insurance in New York State, directly affecting consumers and health insurance companies. It phases out four specific taxes over time, including the $1.1 billion annual "covered lives assessment" on insured individuals, a 9.63% surcharge on hospital services, a $350 million flat tax on commercial insurance policies, and a $149 million tax on insurance companies. Key provisions gradually reduce these taxes: for instance, the insurance company tax drops from 1.75% to 0.37% by 2030 and is eliminated entirely after 2031. The legislation aims to lower health insurance costs by removing these taxes, which the bill states collectively cost consumers over $5 billion annually in 2018.

Maddy summaryS 3380 would change New York State and New York City to observe daylight saving time year-round, eliminating the current practice of switching to standard time in the fall. It amends state and city laws to adopt federal daylight saving time rules (15 USC 260a) as the permanent standard, provided federal law permits year-round daylight saving. The bill would take effect only after neighboring states (Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) pass similar legislation, or immediately if they have already done so.

Requires the state pay taxes on the assessed value of properties of closed state prisons until such prison is reopened, used by another state agency, or is conveyed to a non-governmental entity.

Maddy summaryS 1296 establishes a cap on annual growth for state spending on day-to-day operations (excluding federal funds and capital projects). The cap equals the average of the prior three years' inflation rates (or 2%, whichever is lower). The governor must certify budget proposals don't exceed this cap, and the comptroller verifies compliance after the legislature acts. Exceptions allow exceeding the cap only during declared emergencies with a two-thirds legislative vote. This directly affects how the governor and legislature draft and approve the state budget each year.

Maddy summaryS 1427 proposes changes to how non-commercial driver's licenses and learner's permits are issued, specifically for those that do not meet federal identification standards. The bill creates different requirements for counties designated as "boundary land" compared to other counties. In counties *without* boundary land, applicants could use certain foreign documents, like passports or consular IDs, as proof of identity and provide an affidavit if they lack a social security number. However, these alternative forms of identification and the social security number affidavit would not be accepted for these specific license types in "boundary land" counties.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's arson law to explicitly include fires caused by manufacturing controlled substances as first-degree arson. It directly affects individuals operating illegal drug labs, as setting a fire during such activity - whether at their own or another's property - will now be prosecuted as first-degree arson. The key provision expands the definition of first-degree arson to cover cases where a person destroys a building or causes injury while manufacturing a controlled substance in violation of drug laws. This change ensures fires from drug lab operations are treated as severe arson offenses, not just drug violations.