Legislature concludes for '26: What did and didn't get done?

ALBANY — Well, that’s a wrap.

The 2026 session of the New York State Legislature concluded Friday as the Senate and Assembly adjourned for the rest of the year and headed to their home districts to run for reelection.

Although most of the major action had concluded long before the final few days, here is a look at some pieces of legislation that either won 11th-hour approval and some that died in the State Capitol hallways.

Surveillance pricing

State lawmakers passed the One Fair Price Act, a bill that bans companies from using consumers' personal data to charge different people different prices for the same product or service. It prohibits companies from using customer data, such as their browsing history, real-time location, inferred family size or income to set prices or discounts.

Reducing PFAS

Lawmakers approved a measure to toughen the safety limits on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in drinking water. This comes as President Donald Trump’s administration is looking to rollback PFAS limits. The substances, known as "forever chemicals" because they break down slowly and build up in humans over time, have been linked to health issues, including an increased risk of certain cancers.

Bills aimed at banning the use of PFAS in products including cookware, dental floss and cosmetics failed.

Gas stove warning labels

Lawmakers passed a bill that would require manufacturers to put labels on gas stoves warning consumers of the health risks associated with toxic chemical emissions, including carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.

No more pennies?

Businesses would have to round cash transactions to the nearest nickel under a bill approved by lawmakers. The measure aims to provide guidance after the federal government stopped making pennies last year due to the cost.

It does not apply to electronic transactions.

Book banning protections

Lawmakers passed the "Freedom to Read Act," which would require school districts to set up a rigorous process for book challenges, including a review committee. Books could not be banned from school libraries based on ideological views, and the bill would increase protections for librarians and educators.

AI chatbots

Legislators approved a bill prohibiting companies from providing AI companions that suggest to children that the chatbot is a real person or fictional character. It also bans those that engage in flattery or sycophancy, or promote self-harm.

Another bill puts a five-year moratorium on the sale of AI chatbots embedded in children’s toys.

Suffolk hotel tax

Renewing the county’s hotel/motel tax normally is a given. But this didn’t get done until the last possible day in the Senate because local officials wrangled — until late Monday night — over adjusting how much of the money goes to a tourism agency and how much could be used for capital improvements at parks and music venues and for other uses, such as developing the Ronkonkoma Hub. They settled their differences in time to pass the bill on the last day of the Senate session.

Packaging reduction

Lawmakers did not pass a bill that would have required certain large companies to reduce their plastic packaging waste, pay fees to help increase municipal recycling and eliminate toxic substances in packaging.

The measure, first introduced during the 2023-2024 legislative session and known as the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, once again failed to gain enough support in the legislature. Environmentalists say the measure is a crucial step to eliminate waste and reduce pollution, but business groups say it would increase costs for consumers.

So-called Epstein bill

Supporters were unable to push through the state Assembly a bill that would allow sex trafficking victims to seek punitive damages from an abuser's estate. The bill had support of women who were abused by Jeffrey Epstein and passed the State Senate.

Physician oversight

Lawmakers failed to pass a bill that could have generated stricter oversight of physician misconduct and automatic revocation of licenses for certain conduct. The bill was sparked by Newsday’s "Broken Practice" investigation, which found that, at times, doctors with criminal convictions or who have been alleged of misconduct have been allowed to continue practicing, often without restrictions.

Nuclear moratorium

Progressive legislators and environmentalists lobbied for a bill to put a nearly three-year moratorium on any plans to site any more nuclear power plants in the state — a reaction to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push to do just that. But the bill remained bottled up in the Assembly Energy Committee.

Newsday’s Steve Hughes and Keshia Clukey contributed to this story.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy