S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3621
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 29, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. JONES -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation  to  the  crimes  of  falsely
   reporting an incident in the first and second degrees
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 240.55 of the penal law, as
 amended by chapter 561 of the laws of  1999,  are  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1.  Initiates  or  circulates  a false report or warning of an alleged
 occurrence or impending  occurrence  of  a  fire,  explosion,  [or]  the
 release  of  a  hazardous  substance,  OR  THE USE OF A DEADLY WEAPON OR
 DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT under circumstances in which  it  is  not  unlikely
 that public alarm or inconvenience will result;
   2. Reports, by word or action, to any official or quasi-official agen-
 cy  or  organization  having  the  function  of dealing with emergencies
 involving danger to life or property, an alleged occurrence or impending
 occurrence of a  fire,  explosion,  [or]  the  release  of  a  hazardous
 substance,  OR  THE USE OF A DEADLY WEAPON OR DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT which
 did not in fact occur or does not in fact exist; or
   § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 240.60 of the penal  law,  as  added  by
 chapter 561 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
   5.  Knowing  the  information  reported,  conveyed or circulated to be
 false or baseless and under circumstances in which it is  likely  public
 alarm or inconvenience will result, [he or she] SUCH PERSON initiates or
 circulates  a report or warning of an alleged occurrence or an impending
 occurrence of a fire, an explosion, [or]  the  release  of  a  hazardous
 substance  OR  THE  USE  OF A DEADLY WEAPON OR DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT upon
 school grounds and it  is  likely  that  persons  are  present  on  said
 grounds.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07689-01-5
 A. 3621                             2
              

 
   § 3. Severability. If any item, clause, sentence, subparagraph, subdi-
 vision, section or other part of this act, or the application thereof to
 any  person  or circumstances shall be held to  be invalid, such holding
 shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder of this act, or the
 application  of  such  section or part of a section held invalid, to any
 other person or circumstances, but shall be confined  in  its  operation
 to  the  item,  clause,  sentence, subparagraph, subdivision, section or
 other part of this act directly involved in  such  holding,  or  to  the
 person and circumstances therein involved.
   §  4.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.