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Assembly Bill A2159

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Increases the classification of misdemeanor hate crime offenses to a felony

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2025-A2159 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Codes
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §485.10, Pen L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
A6086

2025-A2159 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Increases the sentencing classification of misdemeanor hate crime offenses or of an attempt or conspiracy to commit a specified offense that is a misdemeanor to a class E felony.

2025-A2159 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2159
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. EICHENSTEIN, SEAWRIGHT -- read once and referred
   to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to increasing the classifica-
   tion of misdemeanor hate crime offenses to a felony
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1. Subdivision 2 of section 485.10 of the penal law, as added
 by chapter 107 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:
   2. When a person is convicted of a hate crime pursuant to this article
 and the specified offense is [a misdemeanor or] a class C, D or E  felo-
 ny,  the  hate  crime shall be deemed to be one category higher than the
 specified offense the defendant committed, or one category  higher  than
 the  offense  level  applicable  to  the  defendant's  conviction for an
 attempt or conspiracy to commit a specified offense, whichever is appli-
 cable. WHEN A PERSON IS CONVICTED OF A HATE CRIME PURSUANT TO THIS ARTI-
 CLE AND THE SPECIFIED OFFENSE IS A MISDEMEANOR OR AN ATTEMPT OR CONSPIR-
 ACY TO COMMIT A SPECIFIED OFFENSE THAT IS A MISDEMEANOR, THE HATE  CRIME
 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE A CLASS E FELONY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02278-01-5

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