Do you support this bill?

Senate Bill S531

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Enacts the New York state antisemitism vandalism act

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Codes Committee

Please enter your contact information

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

co-Sponsors

2025-S531 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A3951
Current Committee:
Senate Codes
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Add §240.80, Pen L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
S8625

2025-S531 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the New York state antisemitism vandalism act which establishes the crime of vandalism of pro-Israel print, which provides a class A misdemeanor for any individual who intentionally destroys, damages, removes, or causes to be destroyed, damaged or removed any banner, poster, flyer or billboard which is located in a public space, where the intent or purpose of such banner, poster, flyer or billboard is to bring awareness for Israeli individuals who have been victims of a crime, or to positively support the country or citizens of Israel in any way.

2025-S531 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S531 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    531
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  MARTINS,  CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK, GRIFFO, MATTERA,
   OBERACKER, PALUMBO, RHOADS, ROLISON, WEBER -- read twice  and  ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the penal law, in relation to enacting the "New York
   state antisemitism vandalism 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 "New York
 state antisemitism vandalism act".
   § 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.80  to  read
 as follows:
 § 240.80 VANDALISM OF PRO-ISRAEL PRINT.
   A  PERSON  IS GUILTY OF VANDALISM OF PRO-ISRAEL PRINT WHEN SUCH PERSON
 INTENTIONALLY DESTROYS, DAMAGES, REMOVES, OR  CAUSES  TO  BE  DESTROYED,
 DAMAGED  OR  REMOVED  ANY  BANNER,  POSTER,  FLYER OR BILLBOARD WHICH IS
 LOCATED IN A PUBLIC SPACE, WHERE THE INTENT OR PURPOSE OF  SUCH  BANNER,
 POSTER, FLYER OR BILLBOARD IS TO BRING AWARENESS FOR ISRAELI INDIVIDUALS
 WHO  HAVE  BEEN VICTIMS OF A CRIME, OR TO POSITIVELY SUPPORT THE COUNTRY
 OR CITIZENS OF ISRAEL IN ANY WAY.
   VANDALISM OF PRO-ISRAEL PRINT IS A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01739-01-5

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

marcy_london
8 months ago

Blatantly violates free speech. Ignores the vandalism of affixing said flyers on public infrastructure: Lamp posts, walls, subways, etc. Also singles out members of another country for protection from free speech.

Sarah_Brownell
8 months ago

As a Jewish resident of New York State, I firmly reject the conflation of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism which is the basis for this bill. Equating anti-Semitism with legitimate anger and protest against the State of Israel is dangerous and diminishes actual anti-Semitic acts, setting a dangerous precedent.

The State of Israel is currently enacting a widely recognized genocide against the Palestinian people. New Yorkers have every right to protest its atrocities. Making that protest illegal is both a violation of free speech and a dangerous precedent that diminishes actual anti-Semitic acts. Senate Bill S531 is a disservice to Jewish and non-Jewish residents alike.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.