S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4635
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 8, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to making rape in  the  first
   degree  a class A-I felony with a penalty of life imprisonment without
   parole

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The closing paragraph of section 130.35 of the penal law,
 as amended by chapter 1 of the laws of  2000,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   Rape in the first degree is a class [B] A-I felony.
   §  2.  Subdivision  5 of section 70.00 of the penal law, as amended by
 section 40-a of part WWW of chapter 59 of the laws of 2017,  is  amended
 to read as follows:
   5.   Life  imprisonment  without  parole.  Notwithstanding  any  other
 provision of law, a defendant sentenced  to  life  imprisonment  without
 parole  shall  not  be  or  become  eligible  for  parole or conditional
 release. For purposes of commitment and custody, other than  parole  and
 conditional  release,  such sentence shall be deemed to be an indetermi-
 nate sentence. A defendant may be sentenced to life imprisonment without
 parole upon conviction for the crime of murder in the  first  degree  as
 defined  in  section  125.27  of this chapter and in accordance with the
 procedures provided by law for imposing a sentence  for  such  crime.  A
 defendant  who  was  eighteen  years  of age or older at the time of the
 commission of the crime must be sentenced to life  imprisonment  without
 parole  upon conviction for the crime of terrorism as defined in section
 490.25 of this  chapter,  where  the  specified  offense  the  defendant
 committed  is  a class A-I felony; the crime of criminal possession of a
 chemical weapon or biological weapon in the first degree as  defined  in
 section 490.45 of this chapter; or the crime of criminal use of a chemi-
 cal  weapon  or  biological  weapon  in  the  first degree as defined in
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD06250-01-1

 S. 4635                             2
 
 section 490.55 of this chapter; provided, however, that nothing in  this
 subdivision  shall  preclude  or  prevent  a  sentence of death when the
 defendant is also convicted of the crime of murder in the  first  degree
 as defined in section 125.27 of this chapter. A defendant who was seven-
 teen  years of age or younger at the time of the commission of the crime
 may be sentenced, in accordance with law, to the  applicable  indetermi-
 nate sentence with a maximum term of life imprisonment. A defendant must
 be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole upon conviction for the
 crime  of  murder in the second degree as defined in subdivision five of
 section 125.25 of this chapter [or], for the crime of aggravated  murder
 as  defined  in subdivision one of section 125.26 of this chapter OR FOR
 THE CRIME OF RAPE IN THE FIRST DEGREE AS DEFINED IN  SECTION  130.35  OF
 THIS CHAPTER.  A defendant may be sentenced to life imprisonment without
 parole  upon conviction for the crime of aggravated murder as defined in
 subdivision two of section 125.26 of this chapter.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.