S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
2707
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 25, 2019
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Introduced by M. of A. O'DONNELL, SIMOTAS, SIMON, LIFTON, GLICK -- read
once and referred to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to restricting the nature of
extreme emotional disturbance as an affirmative defense to a charge of
murder in the second degree
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 125.25 of the
penal law, as amended by chapter 791 of the laws of 1967, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The defendant acted under the influence of extreme emotional
disturbance for which there was a reasonable explanation or excuse, the
reasonableness of which is to be determined from the viewpoint of a
person in the defendant's situation under the circumstances as the
defendant believed them to be. A NON-VIOLENT SEXUAL ADVANCE OR THE
DISCOVERY OF A PERSON'S SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY DOES NOT
CONSTITUTE A "REASONABLE EXPLANATION OR EXCUSE" AS USED IN THIS PARA-
GRAPH. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall constitute a defense to
a prosecution for, or preclude a conviction of, manslaughter in the
first degree or any other crime; or
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03014-01-9