Bill Text: NY A09288 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Enhances criminal penalties for criminal mischief and larceny offenses committed at a place of religious worship.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 25-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-14 - referred to codes [A09288 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-A09288-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 9288 I N A S S E M B L Y February 14, 2012 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. LANCMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to criminal mischief and larceny offenses committed at a place of religious worship THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 145.05 of the penal law, as 2 amended by chapter 276 of the laws of 2003, is amended and a new subdi- 3 vision 3 is added to read as follows: 4 2. damages property of another person in an amount exceeding two 5 hundred fifty dollars[.]; OR 6 3. DAMAGES PROPERTY WHICH, REGARDLESS OF ITS NATURE OR VALUE, IS IN 7 ANY BUILDING, STRUCTURE OR UPON THE CURTILAGE OF SUCH BUILDING OR STRUC- 8 TURE USED AS A PLACE OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP BY A RELIGIOUS CORPORATION, AS 9 INCORPORATED UNDER THE RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS LAW OR THE EDUCATION LAW. 10 S 2. Section 145.10 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 961 of the 11 laws of 1971, is amended to read as follows: 12 S 145.10 Criminal mischief in the second degree. 13 A person is guilty of criminal mischief in the second degree when with 14 intent to damage property of another person, and having no right to do 15 so nor any reasonable ground to believe that he OR SHE has such right, 16 he OR SHE: 17 1. damages property of another person in an amount exceeding one thou- 18 sand five hundred dollars[.]; OR 19 2. DAMAGES PROPERTY WHICH CONSISTS OF A SCROLL, A RELIGIOUS VESTMENT, 20 A VESSEL, AN ITEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS WHICH FORMS 21 A REPRESENTATIVE EXPRESSION OF FAITH OR ANY OTHER ITEM KEPT OR USED IN 22 CONNECTION WITH RELIGIOUS WORSHIP IN ANY BUILDING, STRUCTURE OR UPON THE 23 CURTILAGE OF SUCH BUILDING OR STRUCTURE USED AS A PLACE OF RELIGIOUS 24 WORSHIP BY A RELIGIOUS CORPORATION, AS INCORPORATED UNDER THE RELIGIOUS 25 CORPORATIONS LAW OR THE EDUCATION LAW. 26 Criminal mischief in the second degree is a class D felony. 27 S 3. Subdivision 9 of section 155.30 of the penal law, as amended by 28 chapter 479 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14257-01-2 A. 9288 2 1 9. The property [consists of a scroll, religious vestment, a vessel, 2 an item comprising a display of religious symbols which forms a repre- 3 sentative expression of faith, or other miscellaneous item of property 4 which: 5 (a) has a value of at least one hundred dollars; and 6 (b) is kept for or used in connection with religious worship in], 7 REGARDLESS OF ITS NATURE OR VALUE, IS TAKEN FROM any building, structure 8 or upon the curtilage of such building or structure used as a place of 9 religious worship by a religious corporation, as incorporated under the 10 religious corporations law or the education law. 11 S 4. Section 155.35 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 464 of the 12 laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: 13 S 155.35 Grand larceny in the third degree. 14 A person is guilty of grand larceny in the third degree when he or she 15 steals property and: 16 1. when the value of the property exceeds three thousand dollars[,]; 17 or 18 2. the property is an automated teller machine or the contents of an 19 automated teller machine[.]; OR 20 3. THE PROPERTY CONSISTS OF A SCROLL, A RELIGIOUS VESTMENT, A VESSEL, 21 AN ITEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS WHICH FORM A REPRESEN- 22 TATIVE EXPRESSION OF FAITH OR ANY OTHER ITEM KEPT OR USED IN CONNECTION 23 WITH RELIGIOUS WORSHIP IN ANY BUILDING, STRUCTURE OR UPON THE CURTILAGE 24 OF SUCH BUILDING OR STRUCTURE USED AS A PLACE OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP BY A 25 RELIGIOUS CORPORATION, AS INCORPORATED UNDER THE RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS 26 LAW OR THE EDUCATION LAW. 27 Grand larceny in the third degree is a class D felony. 28 S 5. Subdivision 2 of section 155.40 of the penal law, as amended by 29 chapter 515 of the laws of 1986, is amended and a new subdivision 3 is 30 added to read as follows: 31 2. The property, regardless of its nature and value, is obtained by 32 extortion committed by instilling in the victim a fear that the actor or 33 another person will (a) cause physical injury to some person in the 34 future, or (b) cause damage to property, or (c) use or abuse his posi- 35 tion as a public servant by engaging in conduct within or related to his 36 official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty, 37 in such manner as to affect some person adversely[.]; OR 38 3. THE PROPERTY CONSISTS OF A SCROLL, A RELIGIOUS VESTMENT, A VESSEL, 39 AN ITEM COMPRISING A DISPLAY OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS WHICH FORMS A REPRE- 40 SENTATIVE EXPRESSION OF FAITH, OR OTHER ITEM OF PROPERTY WHICH: 41 (A) HAS A VALUE OF AT LEAST TWO HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS; AND 42 (B) IS KEPT FOR OR USED IN CONNECTION WITH RELIGIOUS WORSHIP IN ANY 43 BUILDING, STRUCTURE OR UPON THE CURTILAGE OF SUCH BUILDING OR STRUCTURE 44 USED AS A PLACE OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP BY A RELIGIOUS CORPORATION, AS 45 INCORPORATED UNDER THE RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS LAW OR THE EDUCATION LAW. 46 S 6. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 47 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.