STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
963
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. JACKSON -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law and the state finance law, in relation
to establishing the New York state violence in mass media research
program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 239-d
2 to read as follows:
3 § 239-d. New York state violence in mass media research program. 1.
4 Program formation and goals. Subject to amounts available by appropri-
5 ation, the New York state violence in mass media research program is
6 hereby created within the firearm violence research institute. The
7 purposes of such program shall include:
8 (a) advising the governor, governmental agencies, the regents, and the
9 legislature on matters relating to the effects of reporting on violent
10 crime practices in New York state as it relates to unintentionally
11 glorifying certain violent crimes in such a way that encourages copycat
12 violent crimes, contributing to negative stereotyping or prejudicing
13 jurors in rulings on private citizens;
14 (b) fostering, pursuing and sponsoring collaborative research on the
15 effects of mass media violent crime reporting;
16 (c) increasing understanding by establishing and reporting on what is
17 known and what is not known about the effects of reporting on violent
18 crime by mass media;
19 (d) identifying priority needs for the research of the effects mass
20 media reporting on violent crime and inventory work within New York that
21 currently are not receiving adequate attention and identifying public or
22 private entities that are best situated to address such needs, thereby
23 leading to better coordination of firearm violence research efforts in
24 the state;
25 (e) promoting awareness of existing and new sources of information
26 created by psychologists and other experts on the effects of current
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02358-01-5
A. 963 2
1 mass media reporting of violent crime while educating elected officials,
2 governmental agencies, and the general public on these issues through
3 such means as it may determine;
4 (f) organizing and sponsoring meetings on firearm violence topics;
5 (g) encouraging the establishment of networks of collaborating experts
6 engaged in related aspects of firearm violence research;
7 (h) raising sensitivity to firearm violence concerns among state and
8 local government agencies, and serving as a forum for enhanced intera-
9 gency information sharing and cooperation;
10 (i) working on a continuing basis with policymakers in the legislature
11 and state agencies to identify, implement, and evaluate innovative
12 firearm violence prevention policies and programs;
13 (j) recruiting and providing specialized training opportunities for
14 new researchers, including experienced investigators in related fields
15 who are beginning work on mass public violence, young investigators who
16 have completed their education, experts in journalism law, postdoctoral
17 scholars, doctoral students, undergraduates, and representatives from
18 mass media; and
19 (k) providing copies of their research publications to the legislature
20 and to agencies supplying data used in the conduct of such research as
21 soon as is practicable following publication.
22 2. Research. The New York state firearm violence research institute
23 shall foster, pursue, and sponsor basic, translational, and transform-
24 ative research, field studies, and all other such activities to
25 research:
26 (a) the nature of mass media reporting of violence, including what is
27 displayed, including but not limited to names and faces of perpetrators,
28 crime scenes, and plans, and individual and societal determinants of
29 risk for involvement in mass public violence, whether as a victim or a
30 perpetrator;
31 (b) the individual, community, and societal consequences of potential-
32 ly irresponsible mass media reporting practices regarding violent crime;
33 (c) the prevention and treatment of mass public violence at the indi-
34 vidual, community, and societal levels; and
35 (d) the effect of mass media reporting on contributing to racial
36 profiling and stereotyping as it relates to arrests, juror outcomes, and
37 the violation of the privacy of private citizens scheduled for trial,
38 but not yet convicted of a crime.
39 3. Financing. The violence in mass media research program shall be
40 funded through the firearm violence research fund established pursuant
41 to section ninety-seven-j of the state finance law.
42 § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 97-j of the state finance law, as
43 amended by chapter 151 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as
44 follows:
45 5. Moneys in the firearm violence research fund, following appropri-
46 ation by the legislature, shall be available to the New York firearm
47 violence research institute for its activities as set forth in [section]
48 sections two hundred thirty-nine-d and three hundred fifty-five-e of the
49 education law.
50 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
51 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
52 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
53 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
54 completed by the commissioner of education on or before such effective
55 date.
