Establishes the crime of disruption of an online public meeting when a person with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, without lawful authority, and acting through a computer service, such person disturbs any lawful assembly or meeting of persons open to the public conducted through a computer service; makes such crime a class B misdemeanor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1361
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. SERRANO, JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crime of
disruption of an online public meeting
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.20-a
2 to read as follows:
3 § 240.20-a Disruption of an online public meeting.
4 1. A person is guilty of disruption of an online public meeting when,
5 with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, without
6 lawful authority, and acting through a computer service, such person
7 disturbs any lawful assembly or meeting of persons open to the public
8 conducted through a computer service.
9 2. Nothing in this section shall prevent prosecution of a person for
10 disorderly conduct as defined in subdivision four of section 240.20 of
11 this article or any other offense.
12 Disruption of an online public meeting is a class B misdemeanor.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02318-01-5
