Assembly Bill A4596A

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Enacts the reproductive health care facilities and religious worship access act

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Assembly 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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Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2023-A4596 - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S5761
Current Committee:
Assembly Codes
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §240.70, Pen L; amd §79-m, Civ Rts L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: A10788
2013-2014: A1188
2015-2016: A182
2017-2018: A276, S7364
2019-2020: A804, S1254
2021-2022: A3902, S3021

2023-A4596 - Summary

Enacts the reproductive health care facilities and religious worship access act; provides that the crime of criminal interference with health care services or religious worship shall be established by the mens rea of knowingly injuring, intimidating or interfering with a person obtaining or providing or assisting in obtaining or providing reproductive health services or a place of religious worship; includes in the definition of such crime engaging in a course of conduct or repeatedly committing acts within twenty-five feet of the premises of a reproductive health care facility or a place of religious worship; defines such premises

2023-A4596 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4596
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 17, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN, PAULIN, PRETLOW, OTIS, JACOB-
   SON, LUNSFORD, SIMON,  SEAWRIGHT,  GLICK,  DICKENS,  BURDICK,  DAVILA,
   DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the penal law and the civil rights law, in relation to
   enacting the reproductive health care facilities and religious worship
   access act
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "reproduc-
 tive health care facilities and religious worship access act".
   § 2. Legislative intent. The  legislature  finds  that  the  right  to
 obtain  reproductive  health services and the right to religious worship
 are essential personal rights protected by state and federal law. Equal-
 ly, the right to peaceably protest and express one's views is  protected
 by  state and federal law. Such actions include, but are not limited to,
 the right to speak, march, demonstrate,  or  engage  in  other  activity
 protected by the First Amendment.
   The  legislature  finds  that  current law does not adequately protect
 reproductive health care facilities or places of religious  worship  and
 those  who  work  in or seek services from or access to such facilities.
 Therefore, the legislature has determined that it is appropriate for the
 protection of the public health, safety and  welfare,  to  enact  legis-
 lation  to prohibit interference with access to reproductive health care
 services or places of religious worship, so that persons harmed by  such
 conduct  can seek redress in the courts and the state can obtain injunc-
 tive relief and damages. Furthermore,  the  legislature  has  determined
 that it is appropriate to enact this legislation to: ensure public safe-
 ty  and  order; protect freedom to receive reproductive health services;
 advance medical privacy and the well-being of patients seeking reproduc-
 tive health care services at facilities; protect the exercise  of  reli-
 gious freedom at places of religious worship and the well-being of those
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05975-02-3
              

co-Sponsors

2023-A4596A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S5761
Current Committee:
Assembly Codes
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §240.70, Pen L; amd §79-m, Civ Rts L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: A10788
2013-2014: A1188
2015-2016: A182
2017-2018: A276, S7364
2019-2020: A804, S1254
2021-2022: A3902, S3021

2023-A4596A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the reproductive health care facilities and religious worship access act; provides that the crime of criminal interference with health care services or religious worship shall be established by the mens rea of knowingly injuring, intimidating or interfering with a person obtaining or providing or assisting in obtaining or providing reproductive health services or a place of religious worship; includes in the definition of such crime engaging in a course of conduct or repeatedly committing acts within twenty-five feet of the premises of a reproductive health care facility or a place of religious worship; defines such premises

2023-A4596A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  4596--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 17, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN, PAULIN, PRETLOW, OTIS, JACOB-
   SON, LUNSFORD, SIMON,  SEAWRIGHT,  GLICK,  DICKENS,  BURDICK,  DAVILA,
   DINOWITZ, LEVENBERG, ARDILA, AUBRY, SILLITTI -- read once and referred
   to  the Committee on Codes -- recommitted to the Committee on Codes in
   accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged,  bill
   amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
   tee
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law and the civil rights law, in  relation  to
   enacting the reproductive health care facilities and religious worship
   access act
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the  "reproduc-
 tive health care facilities and religious worship access act".
   §  2.  Legislative  intent.  The  legislature  finds that the right to
 obtain reproductive health services and the right to  religious  worship
 are essential personal rights protected by state and federal law. Equal-
 ly,  the right to peaceably protest and express one's views is protected
 by state and federal law. Such actions include, but are not limited  to,
 the  right  to  speak,  march,  demonstrate, or engage in other activity
 protected by the First Amendment.
   The legislature finds that current law  does  not  adequately  protect
 reproductive  health  care facilities or places of religious worship and
 those who work in or seek services from or access  to  such  facilities.
 Therefore, the legislature has determined that it is appropriate for the
 protection  of  the  public  health, safety and welfare, to enact legis-
 lation to prohibit interference with access to reproductive health  care
 services  or places of religious worship, so that persons harmed by such
 conduct can seek redress in the courts and the state can obtain  injunc-
 tive  relief  and  damages.  Furthermore, the legislature has determined
 that it is appropriate to enact this legislation to: ensure public safe-

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05975-03-4
              

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