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History
- Referred to codes
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 59–0
- Amended on third reading 4717b
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.64
- Referred to codes
- Committed to rules
- Amended on third reading 4717a
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
Show 2 earlier actions
- 1st report cal.1070
- Referred to codes
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S4717B
Title of bill
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to the definitions of aggravated and first degree murder
Purpose
This bill updates the definitions of aggravated murder and murder in the first degree to include murder of an emergency first responder.
Summary
Section 1 entitles this act "Mark's Law"
Section 2 adds a new subparagraph (ii-a) in subdivision 1 of section 125.26 of the penal law related to intended victims of aggravated murder to include a list of emergency responders: emergency medical technician, firefighter, ambulance driver, paramedic, physician or registered nurse involved in first response team.
Section 3 adds a new subparagraph (ii-a) in subdivision 1 of section 125.27 of the penal law related to intended victims of murder in the first degree to include a list of emergency responders: emergency medical technician, firefighter, ambulance driver, paramedic, physician or registered nurse involved in first response team.
Section 4 provides for the immediate effectiveness of this act.
Justification
We depend on our emergency first responders to react without hesitation and arrive on the scene to save lives and protect us from further harm. They are the hero's of our home towns and their positions should be held in high honor. Since the public places faith and trust in them, they also deserve to have the highest levels of protection the law will allow. While the dangers that our first responders face every day but we can take steps to deter and punish those who would purposefully target our emergency first responders.
Current law defines aggravated murder and murder in the first degree by including a list of individuals who, when killed while performing their official duties, make the murderer guilty of these crimes. They include: police officers, peace officers, uniformed court officers, parole officers, probation officers, employees of the division of youth, and corrections officers. When an individual knowingly kills one of these public servants, current law makes the killer guilty of aggravated murder and murder in the first degree. Both crimes are class A-1 felonies under the Penal Law.
This bill adds a list of emergency responders to the existing list of public servants within the Penal Law to include: emergency medical technicians, firefighters, volunteer firefighters, ambulance drivers, paramedics and physicians or nurses involved in first response teams.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.