Bill > S05348

This bill amends New York's penal law to expand the legal definitions and circumstances around harassment charges, specifically clarifying that repeated harassment offenses can involve different victims. The bill modifies sections 240.30 and 240.25 to include new provisions that allow for enhanced harassment charges when an individual commits multiple harassment offenses, even if the victims are not the same. Specifically, the bill adds that a person can be charged with harassment in the first degree if they: 1) intentionally and repeatedly harass someone by following them or causing reasonable fear of physical injury, 2) commit harassment in the second degree and have a prior conviction for the same offense within five years (regardless of victim), or 3) engage in a pattern of harassment targeting multiple individuals. The bill replaces gendered language like "he or she" with more neutral terms like "the actor" and expands the legal framework for prosecuting repeated harassment, making it easier to charge individuals who demonstrate a pattern of harassing behavior. The changes will take effect on the first of November following the bill becoming law.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5348