New York S 4620: Designates offenses against law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel as hate crimes

Bill Text

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S04620 Summary:

BILL NOS04620 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A05187

&nbsp

SPONSORWEIK

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §485.05, Pen L

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Designates offenses against law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel as hate crimes.

Go to top S04620 Actions:

BILL NOS04620 

&nbsp

02/10/2025REFERRED TO CODES

01/07/2026REFERRED TO CODES

Go to topS04620 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS04620 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS04620 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4620

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 10, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. WEIK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes

 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to designating offenses
 against law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical
 services personnel as hate crimes

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

 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 1, 2 and 4 of section 485.05 of the penal law,
 2 as amended by chapter 8 of the laws of 2019, are amended to read as
 3 follows:
 4 1. A person commits a hate crime when [he or she] such person commits
 5 a specified offense and either:
 6 (a) intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is
 7 committed or intended to be committed in whole or in substantial part
 8 because of a belief or perception regarding the (i) race, color,
 9 national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, reli-
 10 gion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a
 11 person or (ii) because of actual or perceived employment as a law
 12 enforcement officer, a firefighter or as emergency medical services
 13 personnel, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct, or
 14 (b) intentionally commits the act or acts constituting the offense in
 15 whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding
 16 the (i) race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity
 17 or expression, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual
 18 orientation of a person or (ii) because of actual or perceived employ-
 19 ment as a law enforcement officer, a firefighter or as emergency medical
 20 services personnel, regardless of whether the belief or perception is
 21 correct.
 22 2. Proof of race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender
 23 identity or expression, religion, religious practice, age, disability or
 24 sexual orientation or employment as a law enforcement officer, a fire-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD08219-01-5

 S. 4620 2

 1 fighter or as emergency medical services personnel of the defendant, the
 2 victim or of both the defendant and the victim does not, by itself,
 3 constitute legally sufficient evidence satisfying the people's burden
 4 under paragraph (a) or (b) of subdivision one of this section.
 5 4. For purposes of this section:
 6 (a) the term "age" means sixty years old or more;
 7 (b) the term "disability" means a physical or mental impairment that
 8 substantially limits a major life activity;
 9 (c) the term "gender identity or expression" means a person's actual
 10 or perceived gender-related identity, appearance, behavior, expression,
 11 or other gender-related characteristic regardless of the sex assigned to
 12 that person at birth, including, but not limited to, the status of being
 13 transgender;
 14 (d) the term "law enforcement officer" means any active or retired
 15 city or state law enforcement officer, peace officer, sheriff, deputy
 16 sheriff, probation or parole officer, marshal, deputy, wildlife enforce-
 17 ment agency, county or state correctional officer, fire marshal or
 18 commissioned agent of the department of corrections and community super-
 19 vision, as well as any federal law enforcement officer or employee,
 20 whose permanent duties include making arrests, performing search and
 21 seizures, execution of criminal arrest warrants, execution of civil
 22 seizure warrants, any civil functions performed by sheriffs or deputy
 23 sheriffs,