Senate BillIntroduced
S 1361: Establishes the crime of disruption of an online public meeting when a person with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, without lawful authority, and acting through a computer service, such person disturbs any lawful assembly or meeting of persons open to the public conducted through a computer service; makes such crime a class B misdemeanor.
What S 1361 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill aims to establish a new crime in New York state, specifically targeting individuals who disrupt online public meetings. A person is considered guilty of this crime if they intentionally cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by using a computer service to disturb a lawful online gathering. This offense is a class B misdemeanor and can be prosecuted separately from other disorderly conduct charges. The bill takes effect immediately, allowing authorities to enforce this new law without delay.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO CODES (2026-01-07)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO CODES |
| Jan. 09, 2025 | REFERRED TO CODES |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 9, 2025 · 236 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1361 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SERRANO, JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crime of disruption of an online public meeting 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 240.20-a 2 to read as follows: 3 § 240.20-a Disruption of an online public meeting. 4 1. A person is guilty of disruption of an online public meeting when, 5 with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, without 6 lawful authority, and acting through a computer service, such person 7 disturbs any lawful assembly or meeting of persons open to the public 8 conducted through a computer service. 9 2. Nothing in this section shall prevent prosecution of a person for 10 disorderly conduct as defined in subdivision four of section 240.20 of 11 this article or any other offense. 12 Disruption of an online public meeting is a class B misdemeanor. 13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02318-01-5
Text of S 1361 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions