A bill broadening the scope of hate crimes law was included in the state budget this month in an effort to allow prosecutors to punish violators with nearly two dozen additional offenses.
The Hate Crimes Modernization Act, proposed in the upper chamber by out gay State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and in the lower house by Assemblymember Grace Lee, was first introduced late last year in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel as the NYPD reported increases in bias cases, including antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-Muslim incidents. The Hate Crimes Modernization Act is considered to be an update to the Hate Crimes Act of 2000 by closing loopholes in the law.
