Requires every board of elections to employ a minimum of four full time employees in addition to the appointed commissioners within four years and shall employ two of those full time employees within two years; and two additional employees for every twenty thousand active registered voters beyond forty thousand active registered voters.
Provides that recounts of ballots conducted by the board of elections or a bipartisan committee appointed by the board can be either done manually or via the use of any automated tool authorized for such use by the board of elections, which is independent from the voting system it is being used to recount, of all ballots for a particular contest where the margin of victory is less than or equal to 0.5% but greater than 0.25%; allows for losing candidates to deny a recount before any recount is conducted.
Prohibits non-compete agreements and certain restrictive covenants; authorizes covered individuals to bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction against any employer or persons alleged to have violated such prohibition.
Conforms the definition of an incarcerated individual with a serious mental illness to the definition of "person with a serious mental illness" in the mental hygiene law.
Prohibits creditors from enforcing a consumer debt incurred as a result of fraud, duress, intimidation, threat, force, identity theft, exploitation of the debtor's personal information or similar economic abuse perpetrated against a debtor; establishes a right of action by the debtor for relief against creditors for violations; makes related provisions.
Enacts the student journalist free speech act to protect student speech at educational institutions unless such speech is libelous, an invasion of privacy, or incites students to commit an unlawful act, violate school policies, or to materially and substantially disrupt the orderly operation of the school.
Establishes a career and technical education (CTE) diploma; establishes a CTE pathway to a diploma shall be based on a curriculum designed to provide students with technical skills and shall demonstrate that the student is ready for a career as determined by regulations of the commissioner.