Queens, NY – New York State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato passed new statues in the New York State Penal Law by expanding, and even introducing new offenses that fall under the hate crimes statute. In New York, there has been a dramatic increase in reported hate crimes, with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice reporting that hate crimes had increased by 55.8% in 2021. Through legislation supported by the Assemblywoman, the hate crime law would receive its first update in roughly 20 years. This would allow offenses that are currently not hate crimes, like bias-motivated gang assault, to be legally eligible for hate crime charges.

“Being attacked for who you are is not acceptable – hate has no place in our State. I voted yes to expand the criminal statute by adding new criminal charges which will make sure our communities are safe and show that actions have consequences,” said Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato.

The Assemblywoman was instrumental in folding this legislation into the budget. This section of the budget would include nearly 20 new offenses and crimes that would be eligible for hate crime charges.