Bill > A00490

This bill modifies New York's penal law regarding sexual offenses against children by expanding and clarifying provisions of existing statutes. Specifically, the bill broadens the definition of "course of sexual conduct against a child" in both first and second-degree categories to include sexual contact with victims under seventeen years old, in addition to previous age thresholds. The changes require that the sexual conduct occur over a period of at least three months and involve multiple acts, with at least one act involving a child under eleven years old and at least one additional act with a child under seventeen. The bill also removes a previous limitation that prevented subsequent prosecution of other sexual offenses involving the same victim, effectively eliminating the time restriction for bringing charges. Additionally, the bill updates the definition of "predatory sexual assault against a child" to include course of sexual conduct against a child in the first degree when the perpetrator is eighteen years or older and the victim was under thirteen years old when the conduct began. These modifications aim to provide more comprehensive legal protections for child victims and expand prosecutors' ability to charge sexual offenders.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A490