Sen. Alexis Weik

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4461) changes how police handle arrests and releases for certain offenses. It replaces old rules allowing officers to issue "appearance tickets" instead of making arrests with new criteria, specifying 11 situations where an arrest is required (e.g., hate crimes, family violence, or outstanding warrants). It also creates standardized pre-arraignment bail amounts for release before court - up to $750 for class E felonies, $500 for misdemeanors - and allows credit card payments for traffic cases. These changes directly affect police officers, people charged with crimes, and court procedures in New York. The bill does not alter sentencing or penalties but modifies early-stage law enforcement and court processes.

Prohibits the use of biometric surveillance system or biometric surveillance information in places of public accommodation; prohibits entering into any agreement that authorizes any third party to use any biometric surveillance system or biometric surveillance information; provides penalties for violations.

Maddy summaryS 4633 amends New York's penal law to explicitly include animal fighting as a criminal act under enterprise corruption statutes. This change directly affects individuals or groups operating illegal animal fighting rings by making such activities subject to prosecution under the same enterprise corruption laws used for crimes like tax fraud or environmental violations. The bill modifies Section 460.10 of the penal law to add animal fighting to a list of offenses that can be charged as part of an organized criminal enterprise. This provides prosecutors with a specific legal pathway to address animal fighting through the enterprise corruption framework. The bill was referred to the Codes committee on February 10, 2025.

Permits municipal corporations, fire districts, volunteer fire companies, police departments and school districts to sell and display symbols of hope in support of law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, the military, border patrol, firefighters, conservation officers and others.

Relates to exempting the sale of motor vehicles which will be modified for operation by, or for the transportation of, a person with a disability from state sales and compensating use taxes.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New York's labor law to explicitly allow employees who refuse a coronavirus vaccine to qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. It adds language stating that unemployment due to "choosing not to receive a coronavirus vaccine" cannot disqualify someone from benefits, covering both government mandates (like health department orders) and employer vaccine policies. The bill specifically prevents denial of benefits for this reason, including cases where refusal stems from mandatory vaccination requirements by employers or state health authorities. This change modifies existing eligibility rules under sections 591 and 593 of the labor law. The policy directly affects workers who face termination for vaccine refusal under current employer or public health mandates.

Requires the state university of New York and the city university of New York to examine and conduct a study on the availability of campus services, programs and resources for veteran students.

Prohibits a municipality from relocating migrants from such municipality to another municipality in New York unless and until a resolution authorizing the relocation has been adopted by the governing bodies of both the municipality to which the migrants are to be relocated and the county in which the receiving municipality is located; mandates written notice prior to location; provides for a fine for violations.

Maddy summaryS 4614 requires that any revenue from new or increased state taxes be deposited into a special fund. This fund then distributes payments annually to all cities, villages, and towns (outside villages) based on their proportion of the state's total property value. The payments must be used directly to lower each municipality's local property tax levy, reducing residents' property tax bills. The bill takes effect January 1, 2026, after passing committee referral.

Maddy summaryThis bill reclassifies resisting arrest as a class E felony (a serious criminal charge) instead of a misdemeanor. It directly affects individuals who resist arrest, as they will now face felony charges rather than minor penalties, and police officers, who must now make an arrest instead of issuing a court date (appearance ticket) for this offense. Key provisions include amending the penal law to upgrade the offense level and changing criminal procedure rules to eliminate appearance tickets for resisting arrest cases. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.