Environment

This bill extends the Department of Environmental Conservation's authority to manage whelk and conch fisheries until December 31, 2029. It allows the department to set regulations such as size limits, catch limits, seasonal closures, and gear requirements for these species. The new rules must remain consistent with existing state laws and federal fishery management plans. The legislation takes effect immediately upon passage.

This bill extends the authority to regulate the number of Jonah crabs that commercial fishermen can catch for an additional two years, keeping the limit in place until December 31, 2028. It allows state officials to set specific catch limits for commercial crab and lobster license holders, provided these rules follow federal and regional fishery management plans. The law applies directly to businesses holding commercial crab permits or New York commercial lobster licenses. By delaying the expiration of current regulations, the bill ensures continuity in managing the Jonah crab fishery without immediate changes to the existing framework.

This bill extends the legal protections against taking sharks in New York State, allowing the existing regulations to remain in effect until December 31, 2028. The measure directly affects individuals and entities that might interact with sharks, ensuring that current rules prohibiting the capture or killing of these animals continue to apply. By amending the environmental conservation law, the bill provides a temporary extension of the current framework without altering its specific requirements. This action allows the state to maintain its shark conservation efforts for an additional two years before the provisions automatically expire.

This bill updates the legal definition of tidal wetlands to explicitly include areas within the marine and coastal district. By amending the Environmental Conservation Law, it clarifies that these wetlands encompass specific features like banks, salt marshes, and swamps that border or lie beneath tidal waters. The change ensures that lands currently or formerly connected to tidal action in this district are recognized under the existing wetland protections. This adjustment affects how environmental regulations are applied to these specific coastal areas without altering other parts of the law.

Enacts the low impact landscaping rights act, preventing homeowners' associations from adopting or enforcing any rules or regulations that would effectively prohibit, or impose unreasonable limitations on, the installation or maintenance of low impact landscaping.

Requires that companies contracting with the state do not contribute to tropical forest degradation or deforestation directly or through their supply chains.

Enacts the "PFAS discharge disclosure act"; requires certain SPDES permit holders to conduct PFAS monitoring and disclose the results from such monitoring.

Extends the authority of the department of environmental conservation to restrict the taking of fish, shellfish and crustacea in special management areas.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state education, labor, housing and family assistance budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; relates to contracts for excellence, foundation aid, the homeless and foster count, renewable energy projects, zero-emissions school buses and to apportioning aid for universal prekindergarten; relates to reimbursement for the 2026-2027 school year and the maximum contract hours, withholding a portion of employment preparation education aid, and the effectiveness thereof; relates to the use of apportionments for the EXCEL program and the effectiveness thereof; relates to maximum class sizes for special classes for certain students with disabilities; provides for special apportionment for salary expenses; provides for special apportionment for public pension accruals; amends provisions relating to the apportionment amount for the Roosevelt union free school district; provides for set-asides from the state funds which certain districts are receiving from the total foundation aid; provides for support of public libraries; repeals certain provisions relating to the statewide universal full-day prekindergarten program (Part A); relates to evidence-based instructional practices in the subject of mathematics for students in kindergarten through grade five (Part B); relates to the eligibility of students enrolled in an approved program leading to a degree in a high demand field for the New York opportunity promise scholarship (Part C); allows for the chancellor of SUNY and CUNY to impose differential tuition rates on non-resident undergraduate and graduate students until the 2028-2029 academic year (Part E); relates to early childhood educator eligibility for the masters-in-education teacher incentive scholarship program (Part F); changes the name of the "New York state musical instrument revolving fund" to the "New York state music grant fund"; includes musical education in school districts and boards of cooperative educational services within not-for-profit musical entities incorporated in the state and organized for the purpose of the presentation of performing arts for the benefit of the public (Part G); extends provisions of law relating to restructuring financing for residential school placements (Part K); increases the standards of monthly need for aged, blind and disabled persons living in the community (Part L); utilizes reserves in the mortgage insurance fund for the neighborhood preservation program, the rural preservation program, the rural rental assistance program, and the New York state supportive housing program, the solutions to end homelessness program or the operational support for AIDS housing program (Part M); increases the number of land banks which can simultaneously exist in the state of New York from 35 to 45 (Part N); authorizes a tax abatement for alterations and improvements to multiple dwellings for purposes of preserving habitability in affordable housing (Part O); relates to establishing the crime of aggravated harassment of a rent regulated tenant (Part P); renumbers the disparate impact standard for housing and employment in the human rights law (Part Q); defines eligible multiple dwelling under the affordable New York housing program; includes a multiple dwelling that is located on a parcel of land which was part of a tract of land for which a special permit for a large scale general development was approved via the uniform land use review procedure on or before June 15, 2022, and such tract contains a multiple dwelling for which the commencement date is after December 31, 2015 and on or before June 15, 2022 and complies with certain affordability options (Part R).

This bill defines "portable solar generation devices" (moveable solar panels connecting via standard outlets, max 1,200 watts, certified by labs) and exempts them from utility interconnection and net metering requirements. It directly affects residential customers using these small solar devices and electric utilities. Key provisions prevent utilities from requiring approval, charging fees, or demanding extra equipment for these devices, while also shielding utilities from liability for device-related damage. The law takes immediate effect.