Expands the offense of assault in the second degree to include the causing of injury to a frontline employee enforcing a city or state rule or regulation related to controlling the spread of communicable diseases.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1247
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sen. KRUEGER -- 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 expanding the offense of
assault in the second degree to include the causing of injury to a
frontline employee enforcing a city or state rule or regulation
related to controlling the spread of communicable diseases
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The purpose of this act is to provide
2 additional protection to the frontline employees who have been deputized
3 by the state and by local governments to enforce the various rules and
4 regulations surrounding controlling the spread of communicable diseases.
5 State and local governments have instituted various policies such as
6 requiring the wearing of personal protective equipment and requiring
7 patrons to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. They have left
8 enforcement of such policies up to local restaurants, venue employees,
9 bus drivers, teachers and other frontline employees. Recent attacks on
10 restaurant employees have shown that due to the politicized nature of
11 these public health policies, we must provide additional protection to
12 frontline employees who are charged with enforcing the various rules and
13 regulations put forth to reduce the spread of communicable diseases.
14 § 2. Section 120.05 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdi-
15 vision 15 to read as follows:
16 15. With intent to prevent or obstruct any frontline employee from
17 enforcing any city or state rule or regulation related to controlling
18 the spread of communicable diseases, he or she causes physical injury to
19 such frontline employee.
20 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04827-01-3
