The New York state budget deal includes a new law that would tack on an extra charge for perps who wear masks while committing another crime, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.
The governor and state lawmakers finally struck a deal — though it’s a far cry from an outright mask ban that some advocates were pushing for in response to out-of-control anti-Israel protests that have been filled with menacing masked demonstrators.
The agreed-to penalty could only be leveled if a suspect is charged with a class A misdemeanor or anything more serious, according to Hochul, who initially wanted stronger legislation.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie also confirmed the mask law deal attached to the $254 billion state spending plan while talking to reporters in Albany earlier Monday.
“It’s really trying to concentrate on people who wear a mask in regards to hiding their identity while they commit another crime,” Heastie said, according to Gothamist.
State Sen. James Skoufis, who pushed for harder mask restrictions, told the outlet the new charge would be a class B misdemeanor and would also apply to suspects covering their faces while fleeing a crime scene.
“I think it’s an important acknowledgement, and it’s a response to a very legitimate issue that is very strongly felt by a lot of New Yorkers, including the Jewish community,” the Democrat said.
“We are at least doing something. It’s narrower than I would’ve liked.”
Wearing masks in public was outlawed in the state before the ban was lifted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hochul originally wanted to create an increased penalty if someone hid their face while threatening a group of people, but lefty lawmakers balked at that proposal — and civil liberty activists also voiced concern, leading to the narrower law agreed to this week.
The contentious issue was first raised after a wave of off-the-rails anti-Israel protests engulfed the Big Apple with mask-wearing goons directing antisemitic hate toward city Jews last year.
“This is a step forward in an addressing a crisis that has spiraled out of control in New York, as masked up individuals have used face and head coverings as tools of terror to target and menace,” Will Miller, a spokesperson for #UnMaskHateNY, wrote in a statement noting that “this isn’t done.”
“We are committed for the long haul to ensure that legislation meets the crisis.”
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