New York A 255: Relates to individuals engaged in prostitution who are victims of or witnesses to a crime

Bill Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
255--A
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
(Prefiled)
January 6, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GOTTFRIED, SEAWRIGHT, SAYEGH, BARRON, SIMON,
STECK, QUART, PAULIN, GALLAGHER -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Codes -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to individuals engaged in
prostitution who are victims of or witnesses to a crime
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 230.45 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 230.45 Immunity from prosecution.
4 This section applies where a person is the victim of or a witness to a
5 crime (including an individual who becomes aware that another person is
6 a victim of a crime), and has engaged or is alleged to have engaged in
7 an act prohibited under section 230.00, 230.03, or 230.40 of this chap-
8 ter at or in reasonable proximity to the time of the crime or under
9 circumstances reasonably related to the crime, and, in good faith, (a)
10 reports the crime to a criminal law enforcement agency, (b) seeks or
11 receives health care services as a result of the crime, or (c) assists
12 or attempts to assist in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.
13 No such victim or witness to the crime shall be charged or prosecuted
14 for the offense under section 230.00, 230.03, or 230.40 of this chapter.
15 As used in this section, "crime" shall include an act that reasonably
16 appears to be a crime, regardless of whether it results in a conviction
17 as a crime.
18 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
19 have become a law, and shall apply to any prosecution pending on or
20 after the time it shall take effect.
EXPLANATION--Matter in (underscored) is new; matter in bracketsitalics
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00486-02-1