Sen. Kristen Gonzalez

Establishes a New York state prison labor board to ensure that all labor programs comply with the requirements of the labor law and are for the purpose of promoting successful rehabilitation, reentry and reintegration into the community and not for the purpose of earnings or cost-savings which inure to the benefit the state or any private individual or corporation; prohibits the department of corrections and community supervision from unfairly attaching, garnishing or disbursing the funds of incarcerated individuals where such individuals have not requested disbursement; requires that all interest accumulated on incarcerated individuals' funds be credited to such individual's accounts; eliminates the preferred status of the department of corrections and community supervision regarding commodities and services furnished by the correctional industries program; repeals certain provisions of the state finance law relating to such preferred status.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all public and private schools in the state to include instruction about the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection and its aftermath as part of mandated civic education courses for students over age eight. It amends education law to add this event to required curriculum topics alongside other historical subjects like slavery, the Holocaust, and genocide. Schools must teach the historical context, significance, and consequences of the insurrection, with oversight by the education commissioner. Non-compliance could result in withheld school funding, as the law mandates this instruction be integrated into existing citizenship and history lessons.

Enacts the "New York artificial intelligence transparency for journalism act"; requires developers of generative artificial intelligence systems or services to post certain information on the developer's website regarding video, audio, text and data from a covered publication used to train the generative artificial intelligence system or service; allows journalism providers to bring an action for damages or injunctive relief against developers.

Maddy summaryBill S 7985 establishes a gender affirming care program within the Department of Health to ensure the continuity of these services in the state. The program will identify and provide funding and resources to eligible healthcare providers to facilitate access to gender affirming care. This care is defined to include a range of social, psychological, behavioral, medical, and surgical interventions that support an individual's gender identity. The Department of Health is tasked with creating necessary rules and regulations for the program, consulting with experts in the field, and funding will be appropriated by the legislature with annual increases tied to the consumer price index.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals a requirement that applicants must pass an examination to become a licensed master social worker. It directly affects individuals seeking this specific license by removing the exam hurdle. The bill removes paragraph (d) of subdivision 1 of section 7704 in the education law, which previously mandated the exam. This is a procedural change to licensing rules with no new requirements added.

Maddy summaryS 2433 establishes protections for residents and cooperatives when ground leases for apartment buildings expire. It requires cooperatives to dissolve properly within 10 days of lease expiration and automatically grants residents tenant status under New York's rent laws, ensuring their housing remains regulated. The bill also gives the cooperative a 120-day right to purchase the underlying land if the landowner sells, with specific notice and timing requirements for both parties. These changes directly affect ground lease residential co-ops and their residents in New York, ensuring continuity of housing and rent protections upon lease termination.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New York broadband providers to offer high-speed internet service at $5 per month to eligible low-income households. Eligibility includes households receiving free/reduced school meals, meeting income thresholds (185% of federal poverty level), or enrolled in SNAP, Medicaid, or certain rent assistance programs. The service must provide minimum speeds of 100 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload, with providers required to advertise the program and submit annual compliance reports to the state. Violations could result in $1,000 fines per incident.

Enacts the "New York artificial intelligence consumer protection act", in relation to preventing the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to discriminate against protected classes.

Relates to the convening of a human services employee wage board; requires the commissioner of labor to convene a human services employee wage board comprised of twelve members; requires the wage board to hold hearings and report and make recommendations to the governor and legislature no later than December 31, 2025.

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.