NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A10124
SPONSOR: Novakhov TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to prohibiting youthful
offender status for persons who commit a hate crime
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Prohibits youthful offender status for persons who commit a hate crime.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 720.10 of the crim-
inal procedure law, as amended by chapter 23 of the laws of 2024, is
amended to read as follows: (a) the conviction to be replaced by a
youthful offender finding is for (i) a class A-I or class A-II felony,
or (ii) an armed felony as defined in subdivision forty-one of section
1,20, except as provided in subdivision three, or (iii) rape in the
first degree, a crime formerly defined in section 130.50 of the penal
law, or the crime of aggravated sexual abuse, except as provided in
subdivision three, or (iv) a hate crime as defined in section 485.05 of
the penal law, or
Section 2: This act shall take effect immediately
JUSTIFICATION:
Amending the Penal Law to remove the youthful offender status for hate
crime offenders affirms accountability and is an attempt to reduce hate
crimes against our vulnerable communities. Removing the youthful offen-
der status reveals the harm caused and calls for the need for justice
for targeted communities. These horrendous acts of hate toward our most
vulnerable communities should be tried to the fullest extent of the law
and a monumental step in doing that is removing the youthful offender
status for hate crime offenders.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
N/A
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10124
IN ASSEMBLY
February 2, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. NOVAKHOV -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to prohibiting youthful
offender status for persons who commit a hate crime
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 720.10 of the
2 criminal procedure law, as amended by chapter 23 of the laws of 2024, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 (a) the conviction to be replaced by a youthful offender finding is
5 for (i) a class A-I or class A-II felony, or (ii) an armed felony as
6 defined in subdivision forty-one of section 1.20, except as provided in
7 subdivision three, or (iii) rape in the first degree, a crime formerly
8 defined in section 130.50 of the penal law, or the crime of aggravated
9 sexual abuse, except as provided in subdivision three, or (iv) a hate
10 crime as defined in section 485.05 of the penal law, or
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14599-01-6
