Sen. Kristen Gonzalez

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes regional minimum hourly payment rates that Medicaid must reimburse home care providers for services delivered to Medicaid patients. It directly affects home care agencies and providers employing aides covered by minimum wage laws, requiring rates to cover all direct care costs - including base wages, overtime, benefits, taxes, and mandated programs like COVID-19 sick pay. The commissioner must set these rates regionally based on cost factors, adjust them annually for labor law changes, and publish them publicly. Oversight includes comptroller reviews of managed care contracts to ensure rates meet the minimum standards.

Updates provisions relating to dignity for all students including curriculum and teacher training requirements designed to prevent student suicide with a focus on LGBTQ students.

Relates to tax on sales of motor fuel and petroleum products and makes conforming changes; repeals provisions relating to manufacturing gallonage for purposes of the imposition of certain taxes; repeals provisions relating to reimbursement; repeals provisions relating to a utility credit or reimbursement; repeals provisions relating to an aviation fuel business which services four or more cities; repeals provisions relating to services rendered with respect to certain property; repeals provisions relating to fuel sold to an airline for use in its airplanes.

Protects the rights of people in prisons, jails and forensic facilities; limits the use of cell or segregated confinement; grants access to tablets, visitation, and certain items.

Enacts the bucks for boilers act, which creates a program to aid in transition of housing units to electric heat pumps and other high energy efficiency upgrades.

Establishes the nail salon minimum standards council act; establishes the nail salon minimum standards council which shall investigate wages and standards within the nail salon industry and submit recommendations on minimum wages, regulations and standards for nail salon workers.

Enacts the "gender identity respect, dignity and safety act"; relates to the treatment and placement of incarcerated individuals based upon gender identity; requires that incarcerated individuals in state and local correctional facilities who have a gender identity different from their assigned sex at birth be addressed and have access to commissary items, clothing and other materials that are consistent with the person's gender identity; establishes that incarcerated individuals shall be placed in a correctional facility with persons of the gender that most closely aligns with such person's self-attested gender identity unless the person opts out of such placement.

Authorizes and directs the energy research and development authority, the public service commission and NYPA to conduct a study to determine the possibility of closing certain peaker plants.