Earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed to expand the list of charges eligible to be prosecuted as hate crimes to include making graffiti, arson, gang assault, criminal possession of a weapon among others. Governor Hochul also included this expansion in her budget proposal that was presented to the Legislature in January.
Since the brutal Hamas terrorist attack of October 7th, antisemitism has increased exponentially. The concern and fear of many in our community is palpable. The governor’s proposal would assist law enforcement in combatting this terrible scourge and has our enthusiastic support. It subjects a perpetrator to prosecution if the victim is attacked or harassed due to their religion or religious practice. Regrettably, the Legislature chose to remove that provision from its budget proposals. But that can still be rectified. The Legislature is currently negotiating with the governor to present a final budget to be voted on by the end of this month. Fill out the action alert below to contact your legislator and ask them to restore the hate crime proposal in the final budget agreement.