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History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.710
- Referred to codes
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Increases penalties for the crimes of criminal diversion of prescription medications and prescriptions and criminal sale of a prescription
In Assembly Committee · Codes · Sponsor Thomas McKevitt
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S6035
Title of bill
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to increasing penalties for the crimes of criminal diversion of prescription medications and prescriptions in the first, second, third and fourth degrees and criminal sale of a prescription
Purpose
To deter the theft and subsequent illegal sale of prescriptions and prescription medications.
Summary of provisions
Section one increases the penalty for criminal diversion of prescription medications in the fourth degree from a class A misdemeanor to a class E felony.
Section two increases the penalty for criminal diversion of prescription medications in the third degree from a class E felony to a class D felony.
Section three increases the penalty for criminal diversion of prescription medications in the second degree from a class D felony to a class C felony.
Section four increases the penalty for criminal diversion of prescription medications in the first degree from a class C felony to a class B felony.
Section five increases the penalty for criminal sale of a prescription from a class C to a class B felony.
Section six sets the effective date as the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Justification
According to the State Department of Health as many as 1.4 million blank prescription forms have been stolen from New York City hospitals since 2008 and are being sold by criminal gangs to drug users of prescription pain killers. Once obtained, blank prescription forms can be forged and used to obtain highly addictive prescription medications such as oxycodone, which has led to overdoses in some cases.
Current law requires hospitals to have safeguards in place to protect against the theft of printable prescription forms. This bill will deter those responsible for the theft and sale of prescription forms by increasing the penalties for a crime that is increasingly problematic.
Legislative history
This is a new bill.
Fiscal implications
None to the State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.