Bill > S05658

This bill establishes a new criminal offense called "aggravated obstructing emergency medical services" in New York state law. Under this legislation, a person commits this crime if they intentionally and unreasonably obstruct emergency medical services personnel (such as paramedics, emergency technicians, or medical response units) while performing their duties, and either block vehicular traffic or create a situation that poses a risk of serious physical injury to others. The offense is classified as a class E felony, which is a lower-level felony in the New York criminal code. Additionally, the bill allows for the potential forfeiture of a motor vehicle used in committing this offense, similar to existing laws for unlicensed vehicle operation. Vehicle owners or those with security interests in the vehicle can contest the forfeiture through legal intervention, but must prove they did not knowingly consent to or benefit from the criminal activity. The law will take effect 30 days after it is signed into law.