Bill > S03831

This bill modifies the New York Penal Law regarding the crime of persistent sexual abuse by removing the ten-year time restriction on prior convictions. Currently, the law requires that for a person to be charged with persistent sexual abuse, they must have committed specific sexual offenses (such as forcible touching, sexual abuse in the third degree, or sexual abuse in the second degree) and have been previously convicted of similar offenses within a ten-year period. The proposed bill eliminates this ten-year limitation, meaning that prior convictions for these sexual offenses can be considered regardless of when they occurred. This change means that if an individual has been convicted two or more times in separate criminal transactions of the specified sexual offenses, they can be charged with persistent sexual abuse as a class E felony, even if the prior convictions happened more than ten years ago. The bill would take effect on the first of November following its passage into law, potentially expanding the prosecutorial options for handling repeat sexual offenders.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3831