New York A 196: Enacts the "dialogue and decorum act" which establishes the crime of disruption or disturbance of a lawful assembly

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A00196 Summary:

BILL NOA00196 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORBerger

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COSPNSRHevesi, Bichotte Hermelyn, Eichenstein, Braunstein, Dinowitz, Pheffer Amato, Williams, Eachus,
 Cunningham, Stirpe, Jones, Colton, Paulin, Santabarbara, Stern, Shimsky, Angelino, Benedetto,
 Buttenschon, Rivera, Fall, Blumencranz

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

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Add §240.22, Pen L

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Enacts the "dialogue and decorum act" which establishes the crime of disruption or disturbance of a lawful assembly; makes such crime an unclassified misdemeanor.

Go to top A00196 Actions:

BILL NOA00196 

&nbsp

01/08/2025referred to codes

01/07/2026referred to codes

Go to topA00196 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA00196 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA00196 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 196

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 (Prefiled)

 January 8, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. BERGER, HEVESI, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, EICHENSTEIN,
 BRAUNSTEIN, DINOWITZ, PHEFFER AMATO, WILLIAMS, EACHUS, CUNNINGHAM,
 STIRPE, JONES, COLTON, PAULIN, SANTABARBARA, STERN, ROZIC, SHIMSKY,
 ANGELINO, BENEDETTO, BUTTENSCHON, RIVERA, FALL, BLUMENCRANZ -- read
 once and referred to the Committee on Codes

 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crime of
 disruption or disturbance of a lawful assembly

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

 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "dialogue
 2 and decorum act".
 3 § 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.22 to read
 4 as follows:
 5 § 240.22 Disruption or disturbance of a lawful assembly.
 6 1. A person is guilty of disruption or disturbance of a lawful assem-
 7 bly when such person, without authority of law, willfully disturbs or
 8 breaks up any assembly or meeting that is not unlawful in its character.
 9 2. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the
 10 following meanings:
 11 (a) "Willfully disturbs" shall mean:
 12 (i) the conduct substantially impairs the ability to conduct a lawful
 13 meeting or assembly; and
 14 (ii) the conduct is in violation of the implicit customs or usage of
 15 the specific kind of meeting or assembly, or the explicit rules govern-
 16 ing the meeting or assembly, where the disrupting party knew or reason-
 17 ably should have known such conduct was in violation.
 18 (b) "Lawful assembly" shall mean a group of two or more individuals
 19 who legally reserve a space or area with an institution or other space
 20 lawfully available to those conducting such assembly or meeting, and who

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD00823-01-5

 A. 196 2

 1 use such space or area to peacefully assemble for any purpose not
 2 expressly prohibited by law.
 3 3. Disregard of a moderator's call to order or a determination that a
 4 person is in violation of the rules of an assembly or meeting shall be
 5 proof that a disruption is willful.
 6 4. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit:
 7 (i) persons from articulating a particular viewpoint at an assembly or
 8 meeting that is not unlawful in its character; or
 9 (ii) non-disruptive protests of a lawful assembly or meeting;
 10 Disruption or disturbance of a lawful assembly is an unclassified
 11 misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty
 12 dollars nor more than five hundred dollars.
 13 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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