Senate Bill S8942

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Establishes the crime of disruption of an online public meeting

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

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

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2019-S8942 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A10693
Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Add §240.20-a, Pen L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2021-2022: S1492, A3847
2023-2024: S1454

2019-S8942 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the crime of disruption of an online public meeting when a person with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, without lawful authority, and acting through a computer service, he or she disturbs any lawful assembly or meeting of persons open to the public conducted through a computer service; makes such crime a class B misdemeanor.

2019-S8942 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S8942 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8942
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              August 26, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SERRANO -- 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 establishing the crime  of
   disruption of an online public meeting
 
   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  240.20-a
 to read as follows:
 § 240.20-A DISRUPTION OF AN ONLINE PUBLIC MEETING.
   1.  A PERSON IS GUILTY OF DISRUPTION OF AN ONLINE PUBLIC MEETING WHEN,
 WITH INTENT TO CAUSE PUBLIC INCONVENIENCE, ANNOYANCE OR  ALARM,  WITHOUT
 LAWFUL  AUTHORITY,  AND  ACTING  THROUGH  A  COMPUTER SERVICE, HE OR SHE
 DISTURBS ANY LAWFUL ASSEMBLY OR MEETING OF PERSONS OPEN  TO  THE  PUBLIC
 CONDUCTED THROUGH A COMPUTER SERVICE.
   2.  NOTHING  IN THIS SECTION SHALL PREVENT PROSECUTION OF A PERSON FOR
 DISORDERLY CONDUCT AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SECTION  240.20  OF
 THIS ARTICLE OR ANY OTHER OFFENSE.
   DISRUPTION OF AN ONLINE PUBLIC MEETING 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.
                                                            LBD16764-01-0

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