Assembly BillIntroduced
A 7791: Adds to the definition of trespassing in the third degree, not having entered a lease or license for such building or real property with the rightful owner, enters or remains in such building or upon such real property or otherwise occupies such building or real property without title, right, permission of the rightful owner, or payment of rent accepted by the rightful owner.
What A 7791 does, verified January 9, 2026
The bill aims to amend the penal law to clarify and expand the definition of criminal trespass in the third degree. The new definition will include situations where a person enters or remains on a property that has been designated as a no-trespass zone, or where they occupy a building or property without permission, title, or payment of rent. A key aspect of the bill is the introduction of an affirmative defense, which allows a defendant to claim that they are a tenant under the real property actions and proceedings law, potentially reducing their liability in such cases. The bill takes effect immediately upon 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 7791
- What is the current status of A 7791?
- As of January 9, 2026, A 7791 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 7791 pass?
- Not yet. A 7791 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 7791, and where is it now?
- A 7791 was authored by Asm. Steve Stern. Its committee of record is Assembly Codes.
Author and sponsors
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| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to codes |
| Apr. 10, 2025 | referred to codes |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, April 10, 2025 · 271 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7791 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY April 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STERN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to criminal trespass in the third degree The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision (g) of section 140.10 of the penal law, as 2 amended by chapter 176 of the laws of 2011, is amended and a new subdi- 3 vision (h) is added to read as follows: 4 (g) where the property consists of a right-of-way or yard of a rail- 5 road or rapid transit railroad which has been designated and conspicu- 6 ously posted as a no-trespass railroad zone[.]; or 7 (h) not having entered a lease or license for such building or real 8 property with the rightful owner, enters or remains in such building or 9 upon such real property or otherwise occupies such building or real 10 property without title, right, permission of the rightful owner, or 11 payment of rent accepted by the rightful owner; provided, however, that 12 in any prosecution under this subdivision it shall be an affirmative 13 defense that the defendant is a tenant as defined in section seven 14 hundred eleven of the real property actions and proceedings law. 15 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03690-01-5
Text of A 7791 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions