Senator Gallivan's Votes for the Week of March 24, 2025

The following bills were approved in the NYS Senate.  Senator Gallivan's vote is noted.

S1356A Permits the state board of elections to join certain multistate voter list maintenance organizations and provide such organizations with certain voter information; requires the state to join a multistate voter list maintenance organization on or before July 31, 2026.  AYE

S1617 This bill would require Medicaid coverage to be automatically renewed for certain enrollees, upon an attestation of unchanged resources or diminished resources, unless there is a finding of lack of eligibility. NAY (Completely ignores the growing costs of long-term care in Medicaid.)

S2482 Enacts the "go green schools act" to assist school districts in converting to renewable energy sources as a primary source of energy; directs NYSERDA to conduct a study and make recommendations for such purpose. AYE

S2458 Provides the NYC water board shall not establish a limit of less than six years to challenge any fee, rate, rent or other service charges for the use of or services furnished by the water board and/or sewerage systems. AYE

S2275 This bill directs the Director of the Office of Technology, in collaboration with the Director of Budget, to develop a single, searchable budget database website accessible by the public at no cost.  AYE

S2618 Creates the jockey health insurance reserve fund for the payment of premiums not yet paid; provides for the return of funds if such reserve fund becomes no longer necessary. AYE

S2479 Requires the New York state energy research and development authority conduct a study on Brooklyn College constructing a micro-grid to study the feasibility, efficiency, and energy saving costs if such a micro-grid was constructed on campus.  AYE

S413 Amends general obligations law to render unenforceable any claim settlement between an employer and an employee or independent contractor, who is a natural person, if such settlement prohibits the employee or contractor from working for the employer, or any entity related to the employer, in the future. NAY (Infringement on rights of employers. Opens door to retaliatory future claims by employees.)

S70 Provides that any person who has been injured by reason of any violation of any such rules, regulations or policies as the superintendent may promulgate may bring an action in his or her own name; assert a counterclaim; or, if an action is commenced by the mortgagee or anyone acting on its behalf, bring a third party claim, against either the mortgagee and/or the mortgage servicer to enjoin any violations thereof; authorizes damages; makes related provisions. NAY (Would have an major impact on lenders who are seeking to enforce valid mortgages.)

S1126 Directs the department of environmental conservation to conduct a study of ecological restoration needs of Jamaica Bay; imposes a five-year moratorium on placing sediment or fill in the borrow pits in Jamaica Bay. AYE

S1984 Directs the commissioner to publicly publish an annual report on the environmental radiation surveillance program and analyze such report showing trends and cumulative impact, as well as notify other relevant agencies if contamination has exceeded EPA standards for maximum amounts of contamination allowed in drinking water or food. Extends effective date to 90 days after it shall have become a law. AYE

S3179 Decreases the permitted amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) allowed in coal tar pavement products from 10,000mg/kg to 1,000 mg/kg. NAY

S2305 Prohibits the entry of a judgment by confession on amounts due from one or more individuals for personal, family, household, consumer or non-business purposes and on a debt incurred if the principal amount of such debt was less than $5,000,000. NAY (Increase costs of private financing.)

S2555 Ensures that when land is disposed of by public authorities, the names of all beneficial owners of the property shall be disclosed via an explanatory statement that will be publicly available. AYE

S3198 This bill requires the Division of Housing and Community renewal to calculate a rent reduction for tenants. States that notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, any rent reduction attributable to diminution of services shall be calculated by the division of housing and community renewal to be effective upon the date that the diminution of service commenced, regardless of when that diminution of services was reported to the division or the date upon which the diminution of services was addressed by the division.  NAY (This bill strips out protections for property owners, and would expand the rent reduction for tenants beyond when DHCR has served notice on the owner.)

S2437 Requires social media influencers to disclose when they share on social media that they are being paid by a campaign; authorizes the state board of elections to promulgate certain regulations. AYE

S2551 Increases the monetary penalties assessed against corporations for violations of the penal law to $80,000 (up from $10,000) for felony convictions; $40,000 (up from $5,000) for class A misdemeanors; $15,000 (up from $2,000) for class B misdemeanors; and $4,000 (up from $500) for violations. NAY (Excessive)

S3632 This legislation would create the Problem Gambling Advisory Council with the purpose of making findings and recommendations to the governor and legislature on how to treat problem gambling.  AYE

S4964 This bill amends section 2118 of the insurance law regarding excess line coverage, to remove the requirement that excess line brokers must obtain a declination from the medical malpractice insurance pool before the broker can place primary malpractice insurance in the excess line market. AYE

S3569 Allows prospective tenants of rent controlled or rent stabilized housing accommodations to request the complete rent history of such housing accommodations. NAY (Redundant and unnecessary given that these are already rent controlled apartments.)

S5275 COSPONSOR Permits certain licensed athletic trainers who are licensed to practice in another state or territory to provide athletic training services to athletes and team personnel at a discrete sanctioned team sporting event or performance in this state.  AYE

S3571 Names an office for people with developmental disabilities facility located in the borough of Manhattan the "Willie Mae 'Goody' Goodman Community Facility". AYE

S4775 Directs the commissioner of the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities to provide for the oversight of facilities and providers of services under section 16.03 of the mental hygiene law relating to the management of the cash accounts of residents. Oversight of resident's cash accounts shall include a statewide policy mandating audits, policies governing the purchase of gift cards, and prohibiting the use of self-generated receipts as evidence of meal purchases by cash custodians for meals outside of the residence. AYE

S3443 Designates March 25, "Medal of Honor Day", as a day of commemoration. AYE

S659 This bill would amend Article 71 of Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) to expand the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) powers for General Civil Penalty (section 71-4003) to also include injunctive relief, revoking/suspending a permit/certificate, or deny a pending renewal application.  NAY

S2597 Provides access by members of the public, including news media, to all courtrooms, lobbies, public waiting areas and other common areas of the family court otherwise open to individuals doing business before the court, with exceptions (on a case-by-case basis). AYE (Protections in place to shield children from harm during such proceedings.)

S3147 This bill would amend section 1101 of the Insurance Law, definitions regarding doing an insurance business, to remove non-indemnity prepaid legal service plans from the insurance law and thus insurance regulation, while maintaining regulations of traditional legal service insurance policies. AYE

S681 This bill would amend section 201-a of the Labor Law to add a prohibition on mandatory iris and retina scanning of employees to the existing general prohibition on fingerprinting unless otherwise provided by law.  AYE

S5254 Authorizes employees to accompany the commissioner of labor during a workplace violence inspection, participate in a risk evaluation and determination inspection, and an annual program review without a reduction in wages. AYE

S2438 Establishes potable water testing standards at state or local parks. Periodic first-drawn tap testing must be conducted to monitor for lead contamination at each park and testing must be carried out and analyzed by an entity approved by DOH. Periodic testing also must occur once every three years. AYE

S2400 Requires the NYS DOH to establish a blood clot and pulmonary embolism policy workgroup. Such workgroup will consist of health care providers, patients, family members of patients who have died from blood clots, advocates and other interested parties and associations. AYE

S1728 Provides that court records in a proceeding under articles 77, 78 and 81 of the mental hygiene law shall not be perused, examined, disclosed, taken or copied by any other person than a party, the attorney or counsel of a party, the guardian, the court evaluator or the court examiner except by order of the court. AYE

S3575 Establishes a uterine fibroids awareness and education program on the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of uterine fibroids and the elevated risk for minority women. AYE

S3336 Provides that a board of education or a board of cooperative educational services shall have the authority to award contracts for school food services on the basis of certain scoring criteria. NOTE - This allows the school district and localities to determine their best lunches, allowing them enough space to operate as opposed to mandating they take the lowest bid. AYE

S6020 Requires the director of the division of minority and women's business development in the department of economic development to give additional time for a business enterprise to cure defects in its application for certification or correct defects when a certification is revoked. AYE

S1688 Designates the fourth Thursday in March as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day".  AYE

S1535 Authorizes the PSC to provide a penalty in the event a combination utility company is determined to have failed to reasonably comply with provisions of the Public Service Law, an order or regulation which protects the overall reliability and continuity of combination utility company services including but not limited to restoring service or otherwise meeting the requirements of an emergency service plan following a major outage event or emergency. AYE

S866 Amends subdivision 7 of section 130.00 (defining terms related to sex offenses) of the penal law to say that "Physically Helpless" means that a person is unconscious or for any other reason physically unable to communicate affirmative consent (as opposed to unwillingness) to an act.  AYE

S1912A This bill adds to the Standard Coverage under Medicaid (which means payment of part or all of the cost of medically necessary medical, dental, and remedial care, services and supplies…that are necessary to prevent, diagnose, correct or cure conditions, etc.) the provision of medically tailored meals and medical nutrition therapy.  AYE

S6283 Adds a non-voting member from the division of service disabled veterans' business development to the state cannabis advisory board. AYE

S2075 This bill amends the prompt contracting provisions for state contracts with not for profit organizations to require state agencies to register contracts with such organizations within 30 days of the start of any such contract.  AYE

S1373 Provides an option on dog registration applications for voluntary contributions to animal shelters. AYE

S1798 Issues distinctive epilepsy awareness license plates; establishes an epilepsy awareness fund and an epilepsy research and education program. AYE

S3002 BUDGET Debt Service Budget Bill.  AYE