Assembly BillIntroduced
A 6855: Provides that the intentional murder of a child under the age of twelve shall be a first degree murder offense.
What A 6855 does, verified January 8, 2026
The proposed law, known as "Maddox's Law", aims to strengthen penalties for child murder. The law would amend the existing penal code to include a new subparagraph that increases the severity of the crime when the victim is under the age of twelve. This change would recognize the unique vulnerability of children in such situations and provide a more fitting punishment. The law would take effect on the first of November after its passage.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to codes (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 6855
- What is the current status of A 6855?
- As of January 8, 2026, A 6855 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to codes".
- Did A 6855 pass?
- Not yet. A 6855 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 6855, and where is it now?
- A 6855 was authored by Asm. Vivian E. Cook with 7 coauthors. Its committee of record is Assembly Codes.
Author and sponsors
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| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to codes |
| Mar. 14, 2025 | referred to codes |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, March 14, 2025 · 233 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6855 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY March 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. COOK, COLTON, HUNTER, STIRPE, TAYLOR, BUTTENS- CHON, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, DAVILA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to first degree murder of a child under the age of twelve The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act may be cited and shall be known as "Maddox's Law". 2 § 2. Subparagraph (xiii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 3 125.27 of the penal law, as added by chapter 300 of the laws of 2001, is 4 amended and a new subparagraph (xiv) is added to read as follows: 5 (xiii) the victim was killed in furtherance of an act of terrorism, as 6 defined in paragraph (b) of subdivision one of section 490.05 of this 7 chapter; [and] or 8 (xiv) the victim was a child under the age of twelve; and 9 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 10 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08966-01-5
Text of A 6855 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions