Establishes the class E felony of dissemination of false missing child information.

---

S2937-2011 Actions

• May 31, 2012: referred to codes
• May 31, 2012: DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
• May 31, 2012: PASSED SENATE
• May 30, 2012: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
• May 23, 2012: 2ND REPORT CAL.
• May 23, 2012: AMENDED 2937A
• May 22, 2012: 1ST REPORT CAL.871
• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO CODES
• Feb 3, 2011: REFERRED TO CODES

S2937-2011 Meetings

Codes: May 3, 2011, Codes: May 22, 2012

S2937-2011 Calendars

Floor Calendar: May 23, 2012

S2937-2011 Votes

S2937-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S2937

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the penal law, in relation to dissemination of false
information about
a missing child

PURPOSE:
To establish a class E felony of dissemination of false missing child
information.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one adds a new section 240.49 to the penal law, dissemination
of false missing child information.

JUSTIFICATION:
Across the United States there have been numerous false Amber Alerts
being sent out via e-mail and text message. These false alerts prompt
concerned citizens to contact law enforcement agencies who find out
from authorities that such alerts are fake. These false alerts can
have negative effect on public awareness and diminish such awareness
when an official Amber Alert is issue by authorities. These false
alerts, which are spread by electronic means (i.e. e-mail, text
message, Facebook, and Twitter), only diminish the effectiveness of a
authentic and genuine Amber Alert. Legislation is needed in New York
to prevent someone from disseminating false alerts to the public.
This bill would make it a class E felony for someone who knowingly
and falsely generates, by electronic or any other means, information
that would make the public believe that an official alert has been
issued on a child that has been abducted or kidnapped.
Currently, all official Amber Alerts are initially broadcasted through
the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and if people have questions
regarding the validity of an alert they can view them through the
United States Justice Department at AmberAlert.gov.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2010: S.6226 - Referred to Codes/A.10125 - Referred to Codes

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
November 1, next succeeding the date on which it shall become a law.

S2937-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    2937

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                              February 3, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes

  AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation  to  dissemination  of  false
    information about a missing child

    THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.49  to
  read as follows:

  S 240.49 DISSEMINATION OF FALSE MISSING CHILD INFORMATION.
    A PERSON IS GUILTY OF DISSEMINATION OF FALSE MISSING CHILD INFORMATION
  WHEN,  KNOWING  THE INFORMATION HE OR SHE REPORTED, CONVEYED, CIRCULATED
  OR DISSEMINATED IS FALSE OR BASELESS, HE OR SHE STATES  OR  REPORTS,  BY
  ANY MEANS, THAT A CHILD IS A MISSING CHILD AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION ONE
  OF SECTION EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN-E OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW.
    DISSEMINATION OF FALSE MISSING CHILD INFORMATION IS A CLASS E FELONY.
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.





   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD04609-01-1