Relates to the crimes of falsely reporting an incident in the first and second degrees

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9586

                                  I N  A S S E M B L Y

                                    January 21, 2026
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. CASHMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Codes

        AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation  to  the  crimes  of  falsely
          reporting an incident in the first and second degrees

          THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 240.55 of the penal law, as
     2  amended by chapter 561 of the laws of  1999,  are  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    1.  Initiates  or  circulates  a false report or warning of an alleged
     5  occurrence or impending  occurrence  of  a  fire,  explosion,  [or]  the
     6  release  of  a  hazardous  substance,  OR  THE USE OF A DEADLY WEAPON OR
     7  DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT under circumstances in which  it  is  not  unlikely
     8  that public alarm or inconvenience will result;
     9    2. Reports, by word or action, to any official or quasi-official agen-
    10  cy  or  organization  having  the  function  of dealing with emergencies
    11  involving danger to life or property, an alleged occurrence or impending
    12  occurrence of a  fire,  explosion,  [or]  the  release  of  a  hazardous
    13  substance,  OR  THE USE OF A DEADLY WEAPON OR DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT which
    14  did not in fact occur or does not in fact exist; or
    15    § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 240.60 of the penal  law,  as  added  by
    16  chapter 561 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
    17    5.  Knowing  the  information  reported,  conveyed or circulated to be
    18  false or baseless and under circumstances in which it is  likely  public
    19  alarm or inconvenience will result, [he or she] SUCH PERSON initiates or
    20  circulates  a report or warning of an alleged occurrence or an impending
    21  occurrence of a fire, an explosion, [or]  the  release  of  a  hazardous
    22  substance  OR  THE  USE  OF A DEADLY WEAPON OR DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT upon
    23  school grounds and it  is  likely  that  persons  are  present  on  said
    24  grounds.
    25    § 3. Severability. If any item, clause, sentence, subparagraph, subdi-
    26  vision, section or other part of this act, or the application thereof to
    27  any  person  or circumstances shall be held to  be invalid, such holding
    28  shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder of this act, or the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07689-01-5
        A. 9586                             2

     1  application of such section or part of a section held  invalid,  to  any
     2  other  person or circumstances, but shall be confined  in  its operation
     3  to the item, clause, sentence,  subparagraph,  subdivision,  section  or
     4  other  part  of  this  act  directly involved in such holding, or to the
     5  person and circumstances therein involved.
     6    § 4. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
     7  have become a law.