Write a commentMore than 30 Republican-backed proposals—aimed at supporting police and first responders, keeping New Yorkers safe, helping businesses and rewarding veterans and their families—were blocked by Assembly Democrats during committee meetings this week.
Public safety is still a major concern for New Yorkers, yet the Democratic Majority Conference rejected several common-sense proposals to address the issue, including measures that would allow judges to set bail for making a terroristic threat, as well as serious harassment and stalking cases; crack down on gang activity by increasing penalties, protecting witnesses, targeting gang recruitment of minors at schools and giving law enforcement more tools to intervene; treat attacks on first responders, like EMTs, firefighters and police officers, as hate crimes; and make "swatting" (false reports meant to trigger a large police response) a felony, among others.
"New Yorkers increasingly feel our state is falling short when it comes to keeping our communities safe and supporting growth in any regard," said Assembly Republican Leader Ed Ra (R‑Franklin Square). "My colleagues and I are united in our commitment to strengthen public safety, lower the cost of living and improve the quality of life across our state. These efforts are unfortunately too often blocked by Assembly Democrats, leaving common-sense, broadly supported ideas on the table while businesses are forced to close down and prices keep going up. If we're serious about delivering for New Yorkers, we should be having honest conversations about these proposals instead of outright rejecting them based on the political party they were introduced by."
Some of the Assembly Minority Conference-sponsored proposals blocked in Assembly committees include:
| Description | Bill # | Member |
| Obstructing a Police Officer: Makes it a felony to intentionally interfere with or inhibit a police officer from engaging in the course of performing their official duties. |
A.3329 | Smith |
| Make Swatting A Felony: Falsely reporting incidents to cause the dispatch of a large number of police officers to a specific location would be made a felony offense. | A.1345 | Gray |
| Killing a Police Animal: Elevates the offense of killing a police work dog or police work horse from being a class E felony to a class D felony | A.4856 | Brabenec |
| PTSD Sick Leave: Allows first responders who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to request line of duty sick leave. | A.2485 | Bendett |
| Parks & Campsites for Retired First Responders: Grants certain first responders free use of state parks and campsites. | A.9052 | Durso |
| "Criminal Street Gang Abatement Act": Implements enhanced penalties for persons involved with criminal street gangs; establishes the crime of gang solicitation of minors on school grounds; allows for roving interceptions by police after adequate cause is shown; establishes a witness protection fund. | A.5228 | Novakhov |
| Bail for Terroristic Threats: Establishes that making a terroristic threat is a qualifying offense for bail. | A.8753 | Ra |
| Parole Board Membership: Requires the state Board of Parole to include at least one member who is or was a member of law enforcement and at least one member who is a crime victim or crime victim's representative. | A.4441 | Chludzinski |
| New York – Shop Local Program: Provides immediate assistance to small businesses through grants up to $10,000 to support online marketing campaigns and social media strategies and provide business assistance to locally owned businesses. | A.2410 | Ra |
| Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act Opt-Out: Authorizes local governments to opt out of mandates and benchmarks arising under the CLCPA by filing a resolution with the Department of Environmental Conservation. | A.8996 | Bologna |
| Free Sportsman Licenses for Disabled Veterans: Eliminates sporting license fees for honorably discharged, disabled veterans. | A.7402 | Sempolinski |
| Healthcare Savings: Creates a New York State Healthcare Savings Program allowing New Yorkers to save money in a tax advantaged account to use for qualified healthcare expenses. | A.9384 | Jensen |
| "Stop Anti-Semitism on College Campuses Act": Prohibits state funding to any college or university that authorizes, facilitates, provides funding for, or otherwise supports any event promoting Anti-Semitism on campus; defines "Anti-Semitism." | A.4797 | Brown, A. |
