On August 19, 2016, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed three bills that will strengthen protections for employees in the state of New York starting November 1, 2016. The enacted bills make it a Class D felony to assault a utility worker (S.B. 2251), a process server (S.B. 2991), or a station cleaner or terminal cleaner (S.B. 8104). Under New York’s Penal Law, a “D Violent Felony” is treated with up to seven years in prison.
The aim of the new legislation is to keep employees that are prone to attacks safe. According to Governor Cuomo, “these workers perform tasks that are vital to the operation of New York institutions and have increasingly become the targets of aggression and assaults.” Utility workers, for example, have to enter private homes daily, putting themselves at risk. Like Assemblywoman Diana C. Richardson stated, “No employee should have to work facing the threat of assault and this legislation will help ensure a hardworking and dedicated part of our workforce is properly protected under the law.”
For more information on these new laws, click here.