Bill Text: NY A08384 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Enacts "Chelsey's law"; provides that a person commits the crime of manslaughter or aggravated manslaughter when he or she knows or has reasonable grounds to know that a controlled substance is likely to cause the death of another person and sells, administers, delivers, or causes the delivery of a controlled substance to another person and such substance causes, contributes to, or aids in the death of such other person.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-15)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to codes [A08384 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A08384-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8384

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    December 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. STERN, THIELE, LAVINE, K. BROWN, E. BROWN, DeSTE-
          FANO,  GANDOLFO, BLUMENCRANZ, CHANG, DURSO, FLOOD, McDONOUGH, BLANKEN-
          BUSH, GRAY, SLATER, BENDETT, JENSEN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.
          SHIMSKY, SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes

        AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to enacting "Chelsey's law"

          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  "Chelsey's law".
     3    § 2. Section 125.15 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdi-
     4  vision 2 to read as follows:
     5    2.  knowing  or  having  reasonable  grounds to know that a controlled
     6  substance, or any mixture, compound,  or  combination  of  a  controlled
     7  substance with other substances, is likely to cause the death of another
     8  person,  he  or she sells, administers, delivers, or causes the delivery
     9  of a controlled substance to  another  person  and  such  substance,  or
    10  mixture, compound, or combination of substances, causes, contributes to,
    11  or aids in the death of such other person; or
    12    §  3.  Subdivision  4  of section 125.20 of the penal law, as added by
    13  chapter 477 of the laws of 1990, is amended and a new subdivision  5  is
    14  added to read as follows:
    15    4.  Being eighteen years old or more and with intent to cause physical
    16  injury to a person less than eleven years old, the defendant  recklessly
    17  engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of serious physical injury
    18  to such person and thereby causes the death of such person[.]; or
    19    5.  He  or she commits the crime of manslaughter in the second degree,
    20  as defined in subdivision two of section 125.15  of  this  article,  and
    21  where:
    22    (a) he or she sells, administers, delivers, or causes such delivery to
    23  an individual less than eighteen years old; or

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13427-02-3

        A. 8384                             2

     1    (b)  the  substance,  mixture,  compound, or combination of substances
     2  includes any substance listed in schedule  I,  II,  III,  IV,  or  V  of
     3  section  thirty-three hundred six of the public health law that is clas-
     4  sified as either an opiate or opium derivative under such law; or
     5    (c) he or she sells, administers, delivers, or causes such delivery to
     6  an individual already impaired by one or more substances; or
     7    (d)  he  or she sells, administers, delivers, or causes such delivery,
     8  while knowing or having reasonable grounds to know that such  individual
     9  intended  to  use  one or more additional substances in conjunction with
    10  conveyed substance; or
    11    (e) he or she sells, administers, delivers, or causes  such  delivery,
    12  while  knowing or having reasonable grounds to know that such individual
    13  had either completed a drug rehabilitation program or  overdosed  within
    14  thirty days of such conveyance; or
    15    (f)  in  cases  involving  a  mixture,  compound,  or  combination  of
    16  substances, he or she does not disclose to the immediate next  recipient
    17  the  full  and accurate listing of substances contained in such mixture,
    18  compound, or combination of substances.
    19    § 4. Subdivision 2 of section 125.22 of the penal  law,  as  added  by
    20  chapter  765  of the laws of 2005, is amended and a new subdivision 3 is
    21  added to read as follows:
    22    2. with intent to cause the death of a police officer or  peace  offi-
    23  cer, where such officer was in the course of performing his or her offi-
    24  cial  duties and the defendant knew or reasonably should have known that
    25  such victim was a police officer or peace officer, he or she causes  the
    26  death  of  such officer or another police officer or peace officer under
    27  circumstances which do not constitute murder  because  he  or  she  acts
    28  under  the  influence  of  extreme  emotional disturbance, as defined in
    29  paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section 125.25 of this article.  The
    30  fact  that  homicide  was  committed  under  the  influence  of  extreme
    31  emotional disturbance constitutes  a  mitigating  circumstance  reducing
    32  murder to aggravated manslaughter in the first degree or manslaughter in
    33  the  first  degree  and  need not be proved in any prosecution initiated
    34  under this subdivision[.]; or
    35    3. he or she commits the crime of manslaughter in the  second  degree,
    36  as  defined  in  subdivision  two of section 125.15 of this article, and
    37  where:
    38    (a) he or she sells, administers, delivers, or causes such delivery to
    39  an individual less than sixteen years old; or
    40    (b) he or  she  has  prior  knowledge  that  the  substance,  mixture,
    41  compound,  or  combination  of  substances  (i)  has caused the death of
    42  another person or (ii) contains an ingredient, substance, component,  or
    43  additive that has caused the death of another person.
    44    §  5.  The penal law is amended by adding a new section 125.23 to read
    45  as follows:
    46  § 125.23 Presumption; controlled substances.
    47    In any prosecution under section 125.15, 125.20,  or  125.22  of  this
    48  article,  it  shall be presumptive evidence that a controlled substance,
    49  or any mixture, compound, or combination of a controlled substance  with
    50  other  substances  is  likely  to cause the death of another person when
    51  such substance, or any mixture, compound, or combination of a controlled
    52  substance with other substances, is sold,  administered,  delivered,  or
    53  caused  to  be  delivered  without  a  prescription from a duly licensed
    54  medical professional. The  sale,  administration,  delivery,  or  caused
    55  delivery  of a controlled substance, or any mixture, compound, or combi-
    56  nation of a controlled substance with other substances, by any  individ-

        A. 8384                             3

     1  ual other than a duly licensed medical professional shall be presumptive
     2  evidence  that  such  person knew or had reasonable grounds to know that
     3  such substance, mixture, compound,  or  combination  of  substances  was
     4  likely to cause the death of such other person.
     5    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
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