Bill > S09583

This bill enhances criminal penalties for certain offenses committed at places of religious worship and for cemetery desecration, by increasing the severity of charges and penalties for criminal mischief and larceny when these crimes target religious sites or items of religious significance, and by creating new, higher-tier offenses for cemetery desecration. Specifically, it expands the definition of criminal mischief in the second degree to include damage to property used for religious worship, regardless of its monetary value, and elevates cemetery desecration offenses to higher degrees with increased penalties, including a new "cemetery desecration in the first degree" offense for damage exceeding $2,000 or theft exceeding $2,000, and a new category for grand larceny in the third degree that includes theft of religious items valued at $250 or more from places of worship. The bill also allows for community service related to cemetery maintenance as a condition of probation or conditional discharge for these offenses and clarifies that certain religious items are protected under larceny laws.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9583