New York A 4968: Relates to good samaritans; appropriation

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
A04968 Summary:

BILL NOA04968 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORBrown E

&nbsp

COSPNSRGiglio, Manktelow, McDonough, DiPietro, Fitzpatrick, Friend, Angelino, Chang, DeStefano,
 Blankenbush, Lemondes, Novakhov, Hawley, Gallahan, Brabenec, Smullen, Palmesano, Simpson, Brown K,
 Tague, Molitor

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §§621 & 631, Exec L; amd §§35.10 & 35.15, Pen L; add §79-r, Civ Rts L

&nbsp

Relates to being a good samaritan; adds "reasonable intervention" as a reason to be protected from liability; provides that a person may use physical force when and to the extent that such person reasonably believes that reasonable intervention is necessary to maintain order, but may use deadly physical force only when such person reasonably believes that reasonable intervention is necessary to prevent death or serious physical injury; appropriates $500,000 for public service announcements and community-based training programs aimed at educating people about the legal protections and responsibilities of being a good samaritan.

Go to top A04968 Actions:

BILL NOA04968 

&nbsp

02/10/2025referred to governmental operations

05/27/2025held for consideration in governmental operations

01/07/2026referred to governmental operations

Go to topA04968 Committee&nbspVotes:

Committee:GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS Chair:McDonald 
DATE:05/27/2025AYE/NAY:10/4 Action: Held for Consideration McDonaldAyeBeephanNay

GlickAyeSimpsonNay

KimAyeNovakhovNay

Bichotte HermelAyeNorberNay

WilliamsAye

RagaAye

SimoneAye

ShimskyAye

KassayAye

BurroughsAye

Go to topA04968 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA04968 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4968

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 10, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. E. BROWN, GIGLIO, MANKTELOW, McDONOUGH, DiPIETRO,
 FITZPATRICK, FRIEND, ANGELINO, CHANG, DeSTEFANO, BLANKENBUSH,
 LEMONDES, NOVAKHOV -- read once and referred to the Committee on
 Governmental Operations

 AN ACT to amend the executive law, the penal law and the civil rights
 law, in relation to being a good samaritan; and making an appropri-
 ation therefor

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 2 the "Penny for a hero good samaritan protection act".
 3 § 2. Legislative intent. The Penny for a hero good samaritan
 4 protection act seeks to encourage and protect individuals who act self-
 5 lessly to intervene in emergency situations and save lives, without fear
 6 of legal repercussions, provided their actions were reasonable, propor-
 7 tionate, and in good faith. The act aims to create a framework that
 8 distinguishes between lawful assistance in life-threatening emergencies
 9 and unlawful behavior, safeguarding innocent bystanders who choose to
 10 help others from criminal liability.
 11 The act is inspired by the actions of Daniel Penny, who intervened in
 12 a life-threatening situation aboard the New York City subway, illustrat-
 13 ing the importance of clear and just protections for those who step in
 14 to help others in distress. The name, "Penny for a hero", symbolizes the
 15 idea that even a small act of bravery can have a significant and lasting
 16 impact on the lives of those involved.
 17 § 3. Subdivision 7 of section 621 of the executive law, as added by
 18 chapter 351 of the laws of 1982, is amended and a new subdivision 7-a is
 19 added to read as follows:
 20 7. "Good samaritan" shall mean a person who, other than a law enforce-
 21 ment officer, acts in good faith and believes that reasonable inter-
 22 vention is necessary (a) to apprehend a person who has committed a crime

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD00313-01-5

 A. 4968 2

 1 in [his] such person's presence or who has in fact committed a felony,
 2 (b) to prevent a crime or an attempted crime from occurring, or (c) to
 3 aid a law enforcement officer in effecting an arrest.
 4 7-a. "Reasonable intervention" means a person acting as a good samari-
 5 tan pursuant to subdivision seven of this section shall b