State Sen. Kaplan To Gov. Hochul: Sign 'Anti-Hate' Bills Into Law

State Senator Anna Kaplan is calling on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign her two "anti-hate" bills into law. On Monday the State Senator, who represents the 7th Senate District, released a statement urging the governor to sign off on the two bills: The first is an educational campaign and the second is a law that would make it illegal for insurance companies to penalize hate crime victims.

Both bills passed the State Senate and Assembly in March 2022.

Kaplan referred to a "rising tide of hate that has exploded across the country since the pandemic era."

"As a Jewish refugee who came to this country fleeing antisemitic violence in my homeland, my heart aches over the explosion of hate and extremist fueled violence that we've seen in this country since the pandemic. I've been proud to stand up and fight back against hate at every opportunity, but we need to do more, and it's time for the Governor to sign my anti-hate legislative package to combat hate through education, and to support those who have been victims of hate crimes."

According to an April 2022 study from the New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force, as reported by CNN, hate crimes increased 76 percent in the first months of 2022 compared to 2021.

The first bill sponsored by Kaplan would create a state-wide educational campaign "with public and private sources" [and] "develop materials to be published online, create social media campaigns."

The second bill would prohibit any insurers in the state from canceling coverage, raising premiums or refusing to grant coverage to anyone who was victimized by a hate crime, to encourage victims to report the crimes and not fear financial consequences.

Kaplan offered an example:

"A Jewish person who has had a swastika etched into their car by vandals would be protected against their auto insurance being cancelled or their premiums raised due to this act of vandalism. As another example, a house of worship that has been the victim of vandalism on their property would be protected from cancellation of their policy due to these instances of vandalism."