What's happening
This bill criminalizes reporting a victim's or their family member's immigration status to authorities in order to intimidate, harass, or threaten them.
Why it matters
Protects victims and their families from retaliation. The bill aims to prevent someone from using a victim's or their family member's immigration status as leverage to intimidate, silence, or discourage them from seeking help or cooperating with law enforcement.
Encourages reporting of crimes and pursuit of justice. By removing the threat of immigration exposure as a tool of intimidation, the law could help ensure that victims and witnesses—especially those from immigrant communities—feel safer coming forward to report crimes or seek orders of protection.
Targets misuse of authority and personal vendettas. The law specifically addresses individuals acting outside of official duties, closing a loophole where people might misuse knowledge of immigration status for harassment or threats in personal disputes or ongoing legal matters.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Immigrant Status Intimidation
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
11 Co-sponsors
3 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to codes
- Referred to codes
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
808
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. SIMOTAS, OTIS, JAFFEE, SIMON, DE LA ROSA, CARROLL, D'URSO, ROZIC, QUART, GOTTFRIED, NIOU, O'DONNELL -- Multi- Sponsored by -- M. of A. BRAUNSTEIN, GALEF, HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to intimidating a victim or witness
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 215.15 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
3. With the intent to harass, annoy, threaten, alarm or intimidate such person, or cause legal harm or consequences to such person, and outside of his or her official duties, he or she reports to any federal, state or municipal agency or department:
(a) the citizenship or immigration status of a person who:
(i) has been the victim of a criminal act described in this part; or
(ii) who is seeking an order of protection; or
(b) the citizenship or immigration status of a person who is a family member of a person who has been the victim of a criminal act described in this part, or is seeking an order of protection.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01555-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.