A 462: Relates to repeated instances of harassment giving rise to a charge of aggravated harassment in the second degree and harassment in the first degree; clarifies that the victim of such separate offenses does not need to be the same individual.
The proposed law aims to strengthen the penalties for harassment in New York State. It increases the penalties for individuals who have previously been convicted of harassment in the first degree, regardless of whether the victim is the same person from the prior offense. The law defines harassment in the first degree as intentionally and repeatedly harassing someone in a public place or by engaging in a course of conduct that places the person in reasonable fear of physical injury. Additionally, individuals who have previously been convicted of harassment in the second degree within the past five years will also face increased penalties. The law also allows for the prosecution of harassment as a pattern of behavior against multiple individuals. The law excludes activities regulated by the national labor relations act, railway labor act, or federal employment labor management act from i…
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to codes |
| Jan. 08, 2025 | referred to codes |
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 462 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to repeated instances of harassment The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 240.30 of the penal law, as 2 amended by chapter 188 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 5. [He or she] The actor commits the crime of harassment in the first 5 degree and has previously been convicted of the crime of harassment in 6 the first degree as defined by section 240.25 of this article within the 7 preceding ten years, regardless of whether or not the alleged victim of 8 such harassment is the same victim from such prior offense. 9 § 2. Section 240.25 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 109 of the 10 laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows: 11 § 240.25 Harassment in the first degree. 12 A person is guilty of harassment in the first degree when [he or she]: 13 1. The actor intentionally and repeatedly harasses another person by 14 following such person in or about a public place or places or by engag- 15 ing in a course of conduct or by repeatedly committing acts which places 16 such person in reasonable fear of physical injury; or 17 2. The actor commits the offense of harassment in the second degree 18 and has previously been convicted of the crime of harassment in the 19 second degree as defined by section 240.26 of this article within the 20 preceding five years, regardless of whether or not the alleged victim of 21 such harassment is the same victim from such prior offense; or 22 3. The actor engages in a pattern of harassment of multiple individ- 23 uals as the term harassment is defined by section 240.26 of this 24 article. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00697-01-5A. 462 2 1 This section shall not apply to activities regulated by the national 2 labor relations act, as amended, the railway labor act, as amended, or 3 the federal employment labor management act, as amended. 4 Harassment in the first degree is a class B misdemeanor. 5 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 6 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.