A 679: Relates to establishing the crime of coercive control; provides that a person is guilty of coercive control when such person engages in a course of conduct against a member of such person's same family or household, without the victim's consent, which results in limiting or restricting, in full or in part, the victim's behavior, movement, associations or access to or use of such victim's own finances or financial information; provides that coercive control is a class E felony.
The bill aims to establish the crime of coercive control in New York. A person is guilty of coercive control if they engage in a course of conduct against a family or household member without consent, resulting in limiting or restricting their behavior, movement, associations, or access to finances. This includes forcible compulsion or fear of further actions. The law does not apply to actions taken under a legal arrangement, such as power of attorney or guardianship. Coercive control is classified as a class E felony. The law takes effect immediately.
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to codes |
| Jan. 08, 2025 | referred to codes |
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 679 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI, ROZIC, STIRPE, BORES, SIMON, STECK, SIMONE, CRUZ, NOVAKHOV -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crime of coercive control 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 135.80 to 2 read as follows: 3 § 135.80 Coercive control. 4 A person is guilty of coercive control when such person engages in a 5 course of conduct against a member of such person's same family or 6 household, as defined in section 530.11 of the criminal procedure law, 7 without the victim's consent, which results in limiting or restricting, 8 in full or in part, the victim's behavior, movement, associations or 9 access to or use of such victim's own finances or financial information. 10 For the purposes of this section, lack of consent results from forcible 11 compulsion, as defined in subdivision eight of section 130.00 of this 12 title, or from fear that refusal to consent will result in further 13 actions limiting or restricting the victim's behavior, movement, associ- 14 ations or access to or use of such victim's own finances or financial 15 information. This section shall not apply to actions taken pursuant to a 16 legal arrangement granting one person power or authority over another 17 person, including, but not limited to, power of attorney arrangements as 18 defined in paragraph (j) of subdivision two of section 5-1501 of the 19 general obligations law, guardians of the property or person as defined 20 in subdivisions (c) and (d) of section 83.03 of the mental hygiene law, 21 or parental control of a minor child. 22 Coercive control is a class E felony. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01440-01-5