NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4933
SPONSOR: DiPietro TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to desecration of property
commemorating a historical figure
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to desecration of property
commemorating a historical figure.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding the following: Desecration
of property commemorating a historical figure.
- A person is guilty of desecration of property commemorating a histor-
ical figure when with intent to damage property of another person, and
having no right
-to do so nor any reasonable ground to believe that he has such right,
he: (a)damages any real or personal property, including but not limited
to any commemorative monument, marker or street sign, relating to any
person, living or dead, who has historical or cultural significance; or
(b) with intent to steal personal property, including but not limited to
any commemorative monument, marker or street sign, relating to any
person, living or dead, who has historical or cultural significance.
Desecration of property commemorating a.historical figure is a class C
felony.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
JUSTIFICATION:
Desecrating of property commemorating a historical figure is already
against the law and destroys our history. This bill would help to deter
such crimes by making the penalty for such desecration of property
commemorating a historical figure, a class C felony.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2017/18: A8799- referred to Codes
2019/20: A 49762- referred to Codes
2020/21: A 4020/S5721- referred to Codes
2023/24: A 6532/S 6578- referred to Codes
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding.
the date on which it shall have become law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4933
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 10, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. DiPIETRO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to desecration of property
commemorating a historical figure
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 145.75 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 145.75 Desecration of property commemorating a historical figure.
4 A person is guilty of desecration of property commemorating a histor-
5 ical figure when with intent to damage property of another person, and
6 having no right to do so nor any reasonable ground to believe that they
7 have such right, such person:
8 (a) damages any real or personal property, including but not limited
9 to any commemorative monument, marker or street sign, relating to any
10 person, living or dead, who has historical or cultural significance; or
11 (b) with intent to steal personal property, such person steals
12 personal property, including but not limited to any commemorative monu-
13 ment, marker or street sign, relating to any person, living or dead, who
14 has historical or cultural significance.
15 Desecration of property commemorating a historical figure is a class C
16 felony.
17 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
18 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07256-01-5
