New York A 4929: Establishes domestic abuse offenses, provides for special information for certain felony domestic abuse offenses and designates such offenses as family offenses

Bill Text

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A04929 Summary:

BILL NOA04929 

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SAME ASSAME AS S03600

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SPONSORMeeks

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COSPNSRGonzalez-Rojas, Epstein, Gallagher, Burdick, Jackson, Mamdani, Walker, Simone, Davila, Mitaynes,
 Forrest, Simon

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §220.03, rpld §§220.46 & 220.25, Pen L; amd §§160.50 & 440.10, CP L; amd §850, Gen Bus L; add §3395, Pub
Health L

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Eliminates criminal and civil penalties for possession of controlled substances; establishes the drug decriminalization task force to develop recommendations for reforming state laws, regulations and practices so that they align with the stated goal of treating substance use disorder as a disease, rather than a criminal behavior.

Go to top A04929 Actions:

BILL NOA04929 

&nbsp

02/10/2025referred to codes

01/07/2026referred to codes

Go to topA04929 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA04929 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA04929 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4929

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 10, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. MEEKS, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, EPSTEIN, GALLAGHER,
 BURDICK, JACKSON, MAMDANI, WALKER, SIMONE, DAVILA, MITAYNES, FORREST
 -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes

 AN ACT to amend the penal law, the criminal procedure law and the gener-
 al business law, in relation to decriminalizing possession of
 controlled substances; to amend the public health law, in relation to
 establishing the drug decriminalization task force; to repeal certain
 provisions of the penal law related thereto; and providing for the
 repeal of certain provisions upon the expiration thereof

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

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds that
 2 substance use disorder is a disease and should therefore be treated
 3 using a public health, rather than a criminal-legal-system-centered
 4 approach. Existing laws criminalizing the possession of drugs have been
 5 ineffective in reducing drug use and preventing substance use disorder.
 6 Instead, these laws have devastated individuals, families, and communi-
 7 ties. Treating substance use as a crime by arresting and incarcerating
 8 people for personal use offenses causes significant harm to individuals
 9 who use drugs by disrupting and further destabilizing their lives. It
 10 also contributes to an increased risk of death, the spread of infectious
 11 diseases, mass incarceration, the separation of families, and barriers
 12 to accessing housing, employment, and other vital services. Furthermore,
 13 even though research shows that drugs are used and sold at similar
 14 levels across all races, laws criminalizing the use of drugs have
 15 disproportionately impacted Black and Latinx communities. The purpose of
 16 this legislation is to save lives and to help transform New York's
 17 approach to drug use from one based on criminalization and stigma to one
 18 based on science and compassion, by eliminating criminal and civil
 19 penalties for the personal possession of controlled substances.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD07060-01-5

 A. 4929 2

 1 § 2. Section 220.03 of the penal law, as amended by section 4 of part
 2 I of chapter 57 of the laws of 2015 and the opening paragraph as amended
 3 by chapter 433 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 4 § 220.03 [Criminal] Unlawful possession of a controlled substance [in
 5 the seventh degree].
 6 A person is guilty of [criminal] unlawful possession of a controlled
 7 substance [in the seventh degree] when [he or she] they knowingly and
 8 unlawfully [possesses] possess a controlled substance; provided, howev-
 9 er, that it shall not be a violation of this section when a person
 10 possesses a residual amount of a controlled substance and that residual
 11 amount is in or on a hypodermic syringe or hypodermic needle; nor shall
 12 it be a violation of this section when a person's unlawful possession of
 13 a controlled substance is discovered as a result of seeking immediate
 14 health care as defined in paragra