Bill A 2266 requires state agencies operating prisons and youth detention facilities to provide incarcerated individuals with free voice communication services (and optionally video or messaging), effective April 1, 2026. It prohibits facilities from charging inmates for these services or generating revenue from them, and mandates that communication services cannot replace in-person visit programs. The bill repeals the existing correction law section on this topic and adds new requirements for agencies managing correctional facilities. This directly affects all people confined in state correctional facilities by guaranteeing free communication access with external contacts.
Authorizes the election of qualified transportation fringe benefits; authorizes any employer to offer employees the opportunity to use pre-tax earnings for the purchase of qualified transportation fringe benefits.
Relates to providing additional reimbursement to school districts for expenses incurred as a result of an influx of migrant students entering the schools of the districts; directs the governor to submit chapter amendments to the Aid to Localities budget.
This bill increases payments to rural hospitals designated as critical access hospitals (CAHs) under New York's public health law. It sets payment rates for services like emergency care, inpatient stays, and outpatient treatments at 101% of the hospitals' reasonable costs, aligning with federal payment standards for similar facilities. The change applies to CAHs providing services to patients covered by the federal health program referenced in Title XVIII of the Social Security Act. Implementation depends on state budget appropriations, with the policy taking effect on April 1, 2027.
Makes an appropriation to the office for people with developmental disabilities to offset the cost of increased development of residential facilities in unserved and underserved communities.
Extends the authorization granted to the county of St. Lawrence to impose an additional one percent of sales and compensating use taxes until November 30th, 2027.
Authorizes the department of public service to develop, implement, administer and operate a temporary middle income home energy assistance program; makes an appropriation therefor.
Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state health and mental hygiene budget for the 2025-2026 state fiscal year; requires the commissioner of health to provide a quarterly report on known and expected department of health state funds Medicaid expenditures through state fiscal year 2026-2027 (Part A); extends the effectiveness of various provisions relating to social services and healthcare including medical reimbursement and welfare reform (Part B); relates to supplemental hospital payments (Part D); shifts long-term nursing home stays from managed care to fee for service; authorizes penalties for managed care plans that do not meet contractual obligations (Part E); requires a health plan to pay the MCO provider tax for each calendar year; requires every health plan subject to the approved MCO provider tax to submit reports; imposes penalties for failure to submit such timely payments; grants the commissioner of health audit powers; relates to the healthcare stability fund; relates to Medicaid payment increases for certain medical services; makes certain Medicaid payment increases contingent upon the availability of funds within the healthcare stability fund (Part F); relates to insurance coverage for medical malpractice paid for by funds from the hospital excess liability pool; extends portions of the New York Health Care Reform Act of 1996 (Part G); eliminates the fees paid by funeral directors for permits for burials and removals which are used to support the electronic death registration system; repeals certain provisions of such law relating thereto (Part I); relates to extending the time for awards to be granted to applications for the statewide health care facility transformation III program (Part J); requires general hospitals to report community benefit spending by July 1 of each calendar year (Part M); requires hospitals to provide stabilizing care to pregnant individuals; defines terms; repeals provisions relating to required protocols for fetal demise (Part P); relates to improving access to and increasing coverage for infertility treatments (Part Q); requires hospitals to have sexual assault forensic examiners (Part T); extends the provisions relating to preferred sources for entities that provide employment to certain persons (Part Z); extends certain provisions relating to clarifying the authority of the commissioners in the department of mental hygiene to design and implement time-limited demonstration programs to 03/31/2028 (Part AA); extends the effectiveness of certain provisions relating to the appointment of temporary operators for the continued operation of programs and the provision of services for persons with serious mental illness and/or developmental disabilities and/or chemical dependence (Part BB); extends certain provisions relating to services for individuals with developmental disabilities (Part CC); amends the definition of minor to exclude certain homeless youth for purposes of allowing such homeless youth to consent to certain medical, dental, health and hospital services, including behavioral health services (Part DD); relates to involuntary admission and assisted outpatient treatment; establishes the behavioral health crisis technical assistance center; relates to required training and maintaining of records relating to persons dealing with mental health and substance use crises (Part EE); provides that director of the budget, the commissioners of the office of mental health, office for people with developmental disabilities, office of addiction services and supports, office of temporary and disability assistance, office of children and family services, and the state office for the aging shall establish a state fiscal year 2025-2026 targeted inflationary increase, effective April 1, 2025, for projecting for the effects of inflation upon rates of payments, contracts, or any other form of reimbursement for the programs and services (Part FF); relates to the composition and work of mental health incident review panels (Part GG); provides that school-based health centers shall not be provided to medical assistance recipients through managed care programs until at least April 1, 2026 (Part HH); requires any New York subdivision that directly received funds pursuant to a statewide opioid settlement agreement to publicly post on their website information regarding how such funding was utilized and submit such information to the office of addiction services and supports (Part II); relates to clarifying which entities handle the reporting of pregnancy loss; and the responsibilities of health care providers and penalties for not protecting the identities of individuals who suffered a pregnancy loss (Part JJ); extends the authorization for certain fees and charges related to emergency medical services (Part KK); relates to the modernization and revitalization of the Nassau health care corporation (Part LL); extends certain provisions relating to the NYS medical indemnity fund (Part MM).
Enacts the childhood lead poisoning prevention and safe housing act to make enforcement of lead hazard control standards in the state of New York more certain and more effective; creates a loan fund to assist owners in complying with lead-safe requirements; provides for inspections and certification of inspectors and remediators; requires registration of affected properties; provides tax credits for remediation; provides for appointment of deputy commissioner of housing and community renewal to oversee provisions; provides for educational programs relating to lead poisoning and abatement.
This bill allows New York public schools to operate with a flexible schedule of 180 days of instruction or the equivalent in hours, rather than requiring exactly 180 days. It amends state education law to replace the fixed day requirement with a flexible hour-based standard, ensuring schools maintain the same total instructional time while saving costs on energy, transportation, and staffing. The change applies to all public schools seeking operational flexibility, particularly benefiting rural and financially strained districts facing budget challenges. Schools must still meet the mandated instructional hours after public review, and state aid eligibility remains tied to this requirement.
