Amd §89, Pub Off L; add §§250.61 & 250.62, Pen L; add §50-h, Civ Rts L
Prohibits the disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email addresses or personal social media handles of any active or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New York state, county or municipal prosecutor or the spouse or child thereof; relates to criminal penalties; permits civil action.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9975
IN SENATE
April 20, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations
and Government Operations
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, the penal law and the civil
rights law, in relation to prohibiting the disclosure and publication
of the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email
addresses, or social media handles of any active or former New York
state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder, a
judge of any court of law of this state, or a New York state, county
or municipal prosecutor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 89 of the public officers law is amended by adding
2 a new subdivision 7-a to read as follows:
3 7-a. (a) Nothing in this article shall permit the disclosure or publi-
4 cation of the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email
5 addresses, or personal social media handles of any active or former New
6 York state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder,
7 a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New York state, county
8 or municipal prosecutor.
9 (b) "First responder" or "New York state, New York city, or local
10 municipal emergency first responder" shall mean a police officer, peace
11 officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic, or other
12 emergency medical services provider engaged in the lawful performance of
13 their official duties.
14 § 2. The penal law is amended by adding two new sections 250.61 and
15 250.62 to read as follows:
16 § 250.61 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone
17 numbers, personal email addresses or personal social media
18 handles of any active or former New York state, New York city
19 or local municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any
20 court of law of this state, or a New York state, county or
21 municipal prosecutor in the second degree.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15605-01-6
S. 9975 2
1 For the purposes of this section, "first responder" or "New York
2 state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder" shall
3 mean a police officer, peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical
4 technician, paramedic, or other emergency medical services provider
5 engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties.
6 A person shall not knowingly, with reckless disregard for the proba-
7 bility of exposure of another to harassment or risk of harm to life or
8 property, disclose or post or publish in any way including on the inter-
9 net the home address, personal telephone numbers, personal email
10 addresses or personal social media handles of any active or former New
11 York state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder,
12 a judge of any court of law of this state, or a state, county or munici-
13 pal prosecutor.
14 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers,
15 personal email addresses or personal social media handles of any active
16 or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency
17 first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New
18 York state, county or municipal prosecutor in the second degree is a
19 class A misdemeanor.
20 § 250.62 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone
21 numbers, personal email addresses, or personal social media
22 handles of any active or former New York state, New York city
23 or local municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any
24 court of law of this state, or a New York state, county or
25 municipal prosecutor, or the spouse or child thereof in the
26 first degree.
27 For the purposes of this section, "first responder" or "New York
28 state, New York city or local municipal emergency first responder" shall
29 mean a police officer, peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical
30 technician, paramedic, or other emergency medical services provider
31 engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties.
32 A person shall not knowingly, with intent to expose another to harass-
33 ment or risk of harm to life or property, disclose, post or publish in
34 any way including on the internet the home address, personal telephone
35 numbers, personal email addresses, or personal social media handles of
36 any active or former New York state, New York city or local municipal
37 emergency first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or
38 a New York state, county or municipal prosecutor, or the spouse or child
39 thereof.
40 Unlawful disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers,
41 personal email addresses, or personal social media handles of any active
42 or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency
43 first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New
44 York state, county or municipal prosecutor, or the spouse or child ther-
45 eof in the first degree is a class E felony.
46 § 3. The civil rights law is amended by adding a new section 50-h to
47 read as follows:
48 § 50-h. Disclosure of the home address, personal telephone numbers,
49 personal email addresses, or personal social media handles of any active
50 or former New York state, New York city or local municipal emergency
51 first responder, a judge of any court of law of this state, or a New
52 York state, county or municipal prosecutor is prohibited. 1. For the
53 purposes of this section:
54 (a) "First responder" or "New York state, New York city or local
55 municipal emergency first responder" shall mean a police officer, peace
56 officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic, or other
S. 9975 3
1 emergency medical services provider engaged in the lawful performance of
2 official duties.
3 (b) "Disclose" shall mean to solicit, sell, manufacture, give,
4 provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute,
5 circulate, disseminate, present, exhibit, advertise or offer.
6 2. No person, business, or association shall disclose or post or
7 publish in any way including on the internet the home address, personal
8 telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or personal social media
9 handles of an active or former New York state, New York city or local
10 municipal emergency first responder, a judge of any court of law of this
11 state, or a New York state, county or municipal prosecutor or spouse or
12 child thereof under circumstances in which a reasonable person would
13 believe that providing that information would expose another to harass-
14 ment or risk of harm to life or property.
15 3. A person, business, or association that violates subdivision two of
16 this section shall be liable to the active or former New York state, New
17 York city or local municipal emergency first responder, judge of any
18 court of law of this state, or state, county or municipal prosecutor,
19 the spouse or child thereof, or any other person residing at the home
20 address of such individual, who may bring a civil action in the supreme
21 court.
22 4. The court may award:
23 (a) actual damages, but not less than liquidated damages computed at
24 the rate of one thousand dollars for each violation of this section;
25 (b) punitive damages upon proof of willful or reckless disregard of
26 the law;
27 (c) reasonable attorneys' fees and other litigation costs reasonably
28 incurred; and
29 (d) any other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines
30 to be appropriate.
31 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
32 have become a law.
