Bill Text: NY A05939 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Provides that crimes committed against a person on school grounds shall be deemed to be one category higher than the specified crime the person committed; enacts "Suzanne's Law".

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to codes [A05939 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A05939-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5939

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      March 2, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. THIELE, WALSH, WALCZYK -- read once and referred
          to the Committee on Codes

        AN ACT to amend the penal law  and  the  highway  law,  in  relation  to
          violence committed on school grounds

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Short title.  This act shall be known and may be  cited  as
     2  "Suzanne's Law".
     3    § 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 70.12 to read as
     4  follows:
     5  §  70.12 Sentence of imprisonment for a crime committed against a person
     6            on school grounds.
     7    1. Definition of a crime committed against a person on school grounds.
     8  The term "a crime committed against a person on  school  grounds"  shall
     9  mean any crime defined in section 120.05 (assault in the second degree),
    10  120.06  (gang assault in the second degree), 120.07 (gang assault in the
    11  first degree), 120.08 (assault on a peace officer, police officer, fire-
    12  man or emergency medical services professional), 120.10 (assault in  the
    13  first  degree),  120.11  (aggravated  assault upon a police officer or a
    14  peace officer), 120.12 (aggravated assault upon a person less than elev-
    15  en years old), 120.13 (menacing in the first degree),  130.25  (rape  in
    16  the  third  degree), 130.30 (rape in the second degree), 130.35 (rape in
    17  the first degree), 130.40 (criminal sexual act  in  the  third  degree),
    18  130.45  (criminal  sexual  act  in  the second degree), 130.50 (criminal
    19  sexual act in the first degree),  130.65  (sexual  abuse  in  the  first
    20  degree),  130.66  (aggravated  sexual abuse in the third degree), 130.67
    21  (aggravated sexual abuse in the second degree), 130.70 (aggravated sexu-
    22  al abuse in the first degree), 130.75 (course of sexual conduct  against
    23  a child in the first degree), 130.80 (course of sexual conduct against a
    24  child  in  the second degree), 130.95 (predatory sexual assault), 130.96
    25  (predatory sexual assault against a child), 135.10  (unlawful  imprison-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03453-01-1

        A. 5939                             2

     1  ment  in  the  first  degree), 135.20 (kidnapping in the second degree),
     2  135.25 (kidnapping in the first degree) or 135.65 (coercion in the first
     3  degree) of this chapter, or any attempt or conspiracy to commit  any  of
     4  the  foregoing  crimes,  when the crime (a) constitutes a felony and (b)
     5  occurs on school grounds. For purposes of this section, "school grounds"
     6  shall mean (i) in or on or  within  any  building,  structure,  athletic
     7  playing  field,  playground  or  land contained within the real property
     8  boundary line of a public or private nursery school,  daycare  facility,
     9  elementary,  parochial,  intermediate,  junior  high,  vocational,  high
    10  school,  trade  school,  junior  college,  community  college,  college,
    11  university  or  other  institution of higher education, or (ii) any area
    12  accessible to the public located within one thousand feet  of  the  real
    13  property  boundary line comprising any such school or any parked automo-
    14  bile or other parked vehicle located within one  thousand  feet  of  the
    15  real property boundary line comprising any such school. For the purposes
    16  of  this  section, "area accessible to the public" shall mean sidewalks,
    17  streets, parking lots, parks, playgrounds, stores and restaurants.
    18    2. Authorized sentence.  (a) Notwithstanding any  other  provision  of
    19  law, when a person is convicted of a crime committed against a person on
    20  school  grounds  which  is a class C, D, or E felony, the crime shall be
    21  deemed to be one category higher than the crime the person committed, or
    22  attempted or conspired to commit.
    23    (b) Notwithstanding any other provision  of  law,  when  a  person  is
    24  convicted  of a crime committed against a person on school grounds which
    25  is a class B felony:
    26    (i) the maximum term of the indeterminate sentence must  be  at  least
    27  six  years  if  the  defendant is sentenced pursuant to section 70.00 of
    28  this article;
    29    (ii) the term of the determinate sentence must be at least eight years
    30  if the defendant is sentenced pursuant to section 70.02 of this article;
    31    (iii) the term of the determinate sentence must  be  at  least  twelve
    32  years  if  the  defendant is sentenced pursuant to section 70.04 of this
    33  article;
    34    (iv) the maximum term of the indeterminate sentence must be  at  least
    35  four  years  if  the defendant is sentenced pursuant to section 70.05 of
    36  this article; and
    37    (v) the maximum term of the indeterminate sentence or the term of  the
    38  determinate  sentence  must  be  at  least ten years if the defendant is
    39  sentenced pursuant to section 70.06 of this article.
    40    § 3. The highway law is amended by adding a new section 318 to read as
    41  follows:
    42    § 318. Assault and abduction free school zone signs.  The  state,  any
    43  political subdivision of the state and any other public or private enti-
    44  ty  having  jurisdiction  over  any  highway  within  school grounds, as
    45  defined in subdivision one of section 70.12 of the penal law, may,  upon
    46  the  request  of  the  appropriate  school authority, place, cause to be
    47  placed, or permit to be placed within the right of way of  such  highway
    48  signs indicating an assault and abduction free school zone.
    49    §  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  on  the first of September next
    50  succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
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