A 7436: Provides that a person is guilty of harassment in the first degree, a class B misdemeanor, when such person strikes, shoves, kicks or otherwise subjects a school employee to physical contact or attempts or threatens to do the same while such school employee is engaged in the performance of such person's duties as a school employee.
What A 7436 does, verified January 11, 2026
The bill aims to strengthen anti-harassment laws in New York. It adds a new definition of "school employee" to include individuals employed by public or private schools, as well as school districts and other entities administering schools. The bill also expands the definition of harassment to include physical contact or threats of physical contact against a school employee, while also clarifying that certain activities, such as those regulated by labor laws, are exempt from this provision. Harassment in the first degree would be classified as a class B misdemeanor. The bill would take effect on November 1st.
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 7436
- What is the current status of A 7436?
- As of January 11, 2026, A 7436 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 7436 pass?
- Not yet. A 7436 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 7436, and where is it now?
- A 7436 was authored by Asm. Stephen Hawley with 4 coauthors. Its committee of record is Assembly Codes. It is filed under Penal, alongside 132 other New York Penal bills this session.
Author and sponsors
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| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to codes |
| Mar. 27, 2025 | referred to codes |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, March 27, 2025 · 363 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7436 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY March 27, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HAWLEY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to harassment in the first degree The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 240.00 of the penal law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 8 to read as follows: 3 8. "School employee" means any person employed by an elementary or 4 secondary school, public or private, or by the school district or other 5 entity administering such school. 6 § 2. Section 240.25 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 109 of the 7 laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows: 8 § 240.25 Harassment in the first degree. 9 A person is guilty of harassment in the first degree when: 10 1. [he or she] such person intentionally and repeatedly harasses 11 another person by following such other person in or about a public place 12 or places or by engaging in a course of conduct or by repeatedly commit- 13 ting acts which [places] place such other person in reasonable fear of 14 physical injury, or 15 2. such person strikes, shoves, kicks or otherwise subjects a school 16 employee to physical contact, or attempts or threatens to do the same, 17 while such school employee is engaged in or on account of the perform- 18 ance of the duties of such school employee. This section shall not 19 apply to activities regulated by the national labor relations act, as 20 amended, the railway labor act, as amended, or the federal employment 21 labor management act, as amended. 22 Harassment in the first degree is a class B misdemeanor. 23 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 24 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. LBD02566-01-5
Text of A 7436 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions