Bill Text: NY S01772 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Enacts the "New York accountability in reporting act"; establishes the crimes of offering a false report for filing in the second degree and offering a false report for filing in the first degree; includes falsely reporting an incident as a specified offense for the purposes of hate crimes; requires the creation of public databases for false reporting; provides for a civil remedy for convictions of such crimes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO CODES [S01772 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S01772-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         1772--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. PARKER, CLEARE, COMRIE, FERNANDEZ, SEPULVEDA -- read
          twice  and  ordered  printed,  and when printed to be committed 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, the executive law and the civil rights
          law, in relation to enacting the "New York accountability in reporting
          act"

          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 "New York accountability in reporting act".
     3    § 2. The penal law is amended by adding two new  sections  175.50  and
     4  175.55 to read as follows:
     5  § 175.50 Offering a false report for filing in the second degree.
     6    A person is guilty of offering a false report for filing in the second
     7  degree  when,  having previously been disciplined by his or her employer
     8  for filing a false report, and knowing that a written report contains  a
     9  false  statement  or  information  about  another person, in whole or in
    10  substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding  the  race,
    11  color,  national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice,
    12  age, disability or sexual orientation of such other person,  the  person
    13  offers or presents such report to his or her employer with the knowledge
    14  or  belief  that  it  will  be  filed with, registered or recorded in or
    15  otherwise become a part of the  records  of  such  employer.    For  the
    16  purposes  of  this section, "person" means an individual employed by any
    17  state or municipal office, agency or department.
    18    Offering a false report for filing in the second degree is a  class  A
    19  misdemeanor.
    20  § 175.55 Offering a false report for filing in the first degree.
    21    A  person is guilty of offering a false report for filing in the first
    22  degree when having previously been convicted of offering a false  report

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03213-02-3

        S. 1772--A                          2

     1  for  filing  in  the  second degree and having previously been placed on
     2  unpaid leave by his or her employer for filing  a  later  false  report,
     3  such person, knowing that a written report contains a false statement or
     4  information  about  another  person,  in  whole  or  in substantial part
     5  because of a belief or perception regarding the  race,  color,  national
     6  origin,  ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability
     7  or sexual orientation of such other  person,  offers  or  presents  such
     8  report  to his or her employer with the knowledge or belief that it will
     9  be filed with, registered or recorded in or otherwise become a  part  of
    10  the  records  of  such  employer.    For  the  purposes of this section,
    11  "person" means an individual employed by any state or municipal  office,
    12  agency or department.
    13    Offering  a  false  report for filing in the first degree is a class E
    14  felony.
    15    § 3. Subdivision 3 of section 485.05 of the penal law, as  amended  by
    16  section  3  of  part  R of chapter 55 of the laws of 2020, is amended to
    17  read as follows:
    18    3. A "specified offense" is an offense defined by any of the following
    19  provisions of  this  chapter:  section  120.00  (assault  in  the  third
    20  degree);  section  120.05 (assault in the second degree); section 120.10
    21  (assault in the first degree); section 120.12 (aggravated assault upon a
    22  person less than eleven years old);  section  120.13  (menacing  in  the
    23  first  degree);  section 120.14 (menacing in the second degree); section
    24  120.15 (menacing in the third degree); section 120.20  (reckless  endan-
    25  germent  in the second degree); section 120.25 (reckless endangerment in
    26  the first degree); section 121.12 (strangulation in the second  degree);
    27  section  121.13  (strangulation in the first degree); subdivision one of
    28  section 125.15 (manslaughter in the second degree); subdivision one, two
    29  or four of section 125.20 (manslaughter in the  first  degree);  section
    30  125.25  (murder  in  the second degree); section 120.45 (stalking in the
    31  fourth degree); section 120.50 (stalking in the third  degree);  section
    32  120.55  (stalking in the second degree); section 120.60 (stalking in the
    33  first degree); subdivision one of section  130.35  (rape  in  the  first
    34  degree);  subdivision  one of section 130.50 (criminal sexual act in the
    35  first degree); subdivision one of section 130.65 (sexual  abuse  in  the
    36  first  degree);  paragraph  (a)  of  subdivision  one  of section 130.67
    37  (aggravated sexual abuse in the second degree); paragraph (a) of  subdi-
    38  vision  one  of  section  130.70  (aggravated  sexual abuse in the first
    39  degree); section 135.05 (unlawful imprisonment in  the  second  degree);
    40  section  135.10  (unlawful  imprisonment  in  the first degree); section
    41  135.20 (kidnapping in the second degree); section 135.25 (kidnapping  in
    42  the  first  degree);  section  135.60  (coercion  in  the third degree);
    43  section 135.61 (coercion in the second degree); section 135.65 (coercion
    44  in the first degree); section 140.10 (criminal  trespass  in  the  third
    45  degree);  section  140.15  (criminal  trespass  in  the  second degree);
    46  section 140.17 (criminal trespass in the first degree);  section  140.20
    47  (burglary  in  the third degree); section 140.25 (burglary in the second
    48  degree); section 140.30 (burglary in the first degree);  section  145.00
    49  (criminal  mischief  in  the  fourth  degree);  section 145.05 (criminal
    50  mischief in the third degree); section 145.10 (criminal mischief in  the
    51  second  degree); section 145.12 (criminal mischief in the first degree);
    52  section 150.05 (arson in the fourth degree); section  150.10  (arson  in
    53  the  third degree); section 150.15 (arson in the second degree); section
    54  150.20 (arson in the first  degree);  section  155.25  (petit  larceny);
    55  section  155.30  (grand  larceny  in  the fourth degree); section 155.35
    56  (grand larceny in the third degree); section 155.40  (grand  larceny  in

        S. 1772--A                          3

     1  the  second degree); section 155.42 (grand larceny in the first degree);
     2  section 160.05 (robbery in the third degree); section 160.10 (robbery in
     3  the second degree);  section  160.15  (robbery  in  the  first  degree);
     4  section 240.25 (harassment in the first degree); subdivision one, two or
     5  four  of  section  240.30  (aggravated harassment in the second degree);
     6  section 240.50 (falsely reporting an  incident  in  the  third  degree);
     7  section  240.55  (falsely  reporting  an incident in the second degree);
     8  section 240.60 (falsely reporting an  incident  in  the  first  degree);
     9  section  490.10 (soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism
    10  in the second degree); section 490.15 (soliciting or  providing  support
    11  for  an  act of terrorism in the first degree); section 490.20 (making a
    12  terroristic threat); section 490.25 (crime of terrorism); section 490.30
    13  (hindering prosecution of  terrorism  in  the  second  degree);  section
    14  490.35 (hindering prosecution of terrorism in the first degree); section
    15  490.37 (criminal possession of a chemical weapon or biological weapon in
    16  the  third  degree);  section  490.40 (criminal possession of a chemical
    17  weapon or biological weapon in the second degree); section 490.45 (crim-
    18  inal possession of a chemical weapon or biological weapon in  the  first
    19  degree); section 490.47 (criminal use of a chemical weapon or biological
    20  weapon  in the third degree); section 490.50 (criminal use of a chemical
    21  weapon or biological weapon in the second degree); section 490.55 (crim-
    22  inal use of a chemical weapon or biological weapon in the first degree);
    23  or any attempt or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing offenses.
    24    § 4. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 76  to  read
    25  as follows:
    26    § 76. False reporting database. The attorney general shall establish a
    27  public,  searchable  database  of all convictions under   section 175.50
    28  (offering  a  false  report  for  filing  in the second degree), section
    29  175.55 (offering  a  false  report  for  filing  in  the second degree),
    30  section  240.50  (falsely  reporting  an incident in the third  degree),
    31  section  240.55 (falsely reporting an  incident  in  the second degree),
    32  and section 240.60 (falsely reporting an incident in the  first  degree)
    33  of  the  penal law where  a person  committed  the offense  in  whole or
    34  in substantial part because of a  belief  or  perception  regarding  the
    35  race,   color,  national  origin,  ancestry, gender, gender  identity or
    36  expression, religion, religious  practice,  age,  disability  or  sexual
    37  orientation of a  person,  regardless  of  whether the belief or percep-
    38  tion is correct.
    39    § 5. Subdivision 2 of section 79-n of the civil rights law, as amended
    40  by chapter 213 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
    41    2.  Any person who intentionally selects a person or property for harm
    42  or causes damage to the property of another or causes physical injury or
    43  death to another, or subjects a person to conduct that would  constitute
    44  harassment  under  section 240.25 of the penal law, or subjects a person
    45  to conduct that results in a conviction under section 175.50 (offering a
    46  false report for filing in the second degree), section 175.55  (offering
    47  a  false  report  for  filing  in   the   second degree), section 240.50
    48  (falsely reporting an incident in  the  third  degree),  section  240.55
    49  (falsely reporting an incident in the second degree), and section 240.60
    50  (falsely reporting an incident in the first degree) of the penal law, or
    51  summons  a  police  officer or peace officer without reason to suspect a
    52  violation of the penal law, any other criminal conduct, or  an  imminent
    53  threat  to a person or property, in whole or in substantial part because
    54  of a belief or perception regarding the race,  color,  national  origin,
    55  ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexu-
    56  al  orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or percep-

        S. 1772--A                          4

     1  tion is correct, or any person who aids or  incites  any  such  conduct,
     2  shall  be  liable,  in  a  civil action or proceeding maintained by such
     3  individual or group of individuals, for injunctive relief,  damages,  or
     4  any other appropriate relief in law or equity. If it shall appear to the
     5  satisfaction  of  the court or justice that the respondent has, in fact,
     6  violated this section, an injunction may be  issued  by  such  court  or
     7  justice,  enjoining  and  restraining  any  further  violation,  without
     8  requiring proof that any person has, in fact, been  injured  or  damaged
     9  thereby.  For the purposes of this subdivision, a person lacks reason to
    10  suspect a violation of the penal law, any other criminal conduct, or  an
    11  imminent  threat to a person or property where a reasonable person would
    12  not suspect such violation, conduct, or threat.
    13    § 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    14  it shall have become a law.
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