NY State Senate Bill 2017-S9150

Senate Bill S9150

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Relates to reporting a nonemergency incident to an organization having the function of dealing with emergencies

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Aug 15, 2018	referred to rules

co-Sponsors

2017-S9150 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A11389
Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: Penal Law
Laws Affected:: Add §240.49, Pen L
Versions Introduced in 2019-2020 Legislative Session:: S1411, S8492, A1531

2017-S9150 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to reporting a nonemergency incident to an organization having the function of dealing with emergencies; designates such offense a class B misdemeanor.

2017-S9150 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S9150

SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the penal law, in relation to report-
ing a nonemergency incident to an organization having the function of
dealing with emergencies

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To prevent the misuse of 911 and other organizations that deal with
emergencies

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1: The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.49

§ 240.49 Reporting a nonemergency incident. A person is guilty of
reporting a nonemergency incident when, knowing the information
reported, conveyed or circulated to be a nonemergency situation, he or
she initiates or circulates a report or warning to an official or
quasi-official agency or organization having the function of dealing

with emergencies involving danger to life or property of an alleged
occurrence or impending occurrence of a nonemergency situation in which
it is unlikely that a threat to public safety will result.  Reporting a
nonemergency incident is a class B misdemeanor.

Section 2: This act shall take effect immediately

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This summer has left us with a distressing string of frivolous calls to
911 for selling water, cutting grass, or using the swimming pool.  Some-
one's personal comfortability with another has been the basis for the
majority of those calls, and not for any particular threat.

Calling 911 for non-emergencies poses a bigger threat to society in the
era of Trump. Oftentimes, officers reporting to a scene are deposited
into situations with limited information and if that information sounds
critical enough to law enforcement, they may respond with tactical
force. It takes less than seven seconds for a situation with few details
to escalate.

Furthermore, emergency services should be readily available for citizens
in eminent danger. Having 911 call centers continuously dispatching
Police, Fire or EMT services for non-emergencies leaves their resources
short if an actual emergency is reported at the same time.

This bill is not to discourage the intended use of 911, but to inhibit
it's blatant misuse.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately

2017-S9150 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9150
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              August 15, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to reporting  a  nonemergency
   incident  to an organization having the function of dealing with emer-
   gencies
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.49 to
 read as follows:
 § 240.49 REPORTING A NONEMERGENCY INCIDENT.
   A PERSON IS GUILTY OF REPORTING A NONEMERGENCY INCIDENT WHEN,  KNOWING
 THE  INFORMATION  REPORTED,  CONVEYED OR CIRCULATED TO BE A NONEMERGENCY
 SITUATION, HE OR SHE INITIATES OR CIRCULATES A REPORT OR WARNING  TO  AN
 OFFICIAL OR QUASI-OFFICIAL AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION HAVING THE FUNCTION OF
 DEALING  WITH  EMERGENCIES  INVOLVING  DANGER  TO LIFE OR PROPERTY OF AN
 ALLEGED OCCURRENCE OR IMPENDING OCCURRENCE OF A  NONEMERGENCY  SITUATION
 IN WHICH IT IS UNLIKELY THAT A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY WILL RESULT.
   REPORTING A NONEMERGENCY INCIDENT IS A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
 

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD16466-01-8

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S9150

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Kevin S. Parker