senate Bill S4302

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Prohibits cyber-bullying

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee


  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor Calendar
    • Passed Senate
    • Passed Assembly
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed/Vetoed by Governor

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Actions

view actions (2)
Assembly Actions - Lowercase
Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020 referred to education
Mar 07, 2019 referred to education

Co-Sponsors

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S4302 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Add §12-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: S6614
2013-2014: S2011
2015-2016: S865
2017-2018: S2318
2021-2022: S7600

S4302 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits a person from knowingly engaging in a repeated course of cyberbullying of a minor; guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by a fine not more than one thousand dollars, or by a period of imprisonment not to exceed one year, or both.

S4302 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S4302 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf


                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4302

                       2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                              March 7, 2019
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens.  RANZENHOFER,  ADDABBO,  CARLUCCI,  FUNKE, O'MARA,
  RITCHIE, SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed
  to be committed to the Committee on Education

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to prohibiting  cyberbul-
  lying

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Legislative intent.  The legislature finds that:
  a. Bullying is a long-standing problem among school-aged  children  in
New  York state and throughout the nation. With increasing accessibility
to electronic means of communication, bullying has  transformed  from  a
predominantly school-based issue to a broader societal problem.
  b.  Researchers  have  demonstrated that bullying has long-term conse-
quences. Further, bullying goes beyond the classroom to bullying on  the
job, on athletic teams, on college campuses and the internet.
  c.  Experts  researching  bullying  have  suggested  that one tool for
schools to use  in  combatting  bullying  is  to  maintain  and  enforce
consistent  policies  against  bullying and harassment, including cyber-
bullying. Such enforcement is not always  possible  if  bullying  occurs
away from school or by a non-student.
  d. Perpetrators of cyberbullying are often more extreme in the threats
and  taunts  they  inflict on their victims, as they do not actually see
their victim's emotional reaction to the abuse and believe that they are
anonymous. Victims of cyberbullying suffer very real and serious harm as
a result of these incidents, often showing signs of depression, anxiety,
social isolation, nervousness  when  interacting  with  technology,  low
self-esteem  and  declining  school  performance. In some cases, victims
attempt or commit suicide in part because of the  cyberbullying  they've
endured.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD01607-01-9

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