NY Bill A06540 - Define Consent

Below you'll find hyperlinks that will open with a sample email to the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly Committee of Codes.

(I am a beginner at coding so please forgive me if the formatting is off on your mobile apps) All you have to do is insert your Name, Address (optional), Phone Number, and Email Address then press send!

April 6th is the National Day of Action for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this is the day we need to send these emails but you can also send it before/after.

Senators:

Bill A06540 - Define Consent

Assembly Members:

Bill A06540 - Define Consent - NYSA

Attached is a doc with each of their emails, please share these links with friends and family. I'm including the sample email listed below if you'd like to share that too! We need all the support we can get. If you have any questions, let me know.

Thank you again for supporting the cause.

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Dear (Senator or Assembly Member),

The legislation addressing Consent - Bill A06540, is of paramount interest to me. Presently, all states fail to define consent. This lack of definition makes recognizing and prosecuting sexual predators unnecessarily difficult. I am primarily concerned about New York's definition of consent in its penal codes. Consent always plays an active role in determining whether an act is legally considered a crime. If your constituents can recognize what consent actually is, then your penal code will be able to define all types of sexual assaults, and aid victims in holding their assailants accountable.

Consent should be defined as, "Freely given knowledgeable and informed agreement; such agreement must be obtained without the use of malice such as forcible compulsion, duress, coercion, deception, fraud, concealment or artifice. The word consent appears in every provision on sexual assault throughout Section 130.00 through 130.96 of New York State's Penal Code; except under "Definitions." Thirteen definitions are identified, but consent, the pivotal element in whether or not a sexual assault or rape was committed, is missing. 130.05 describes lack of consent, but stating what consent is not fails to define what consent actually is. Society, law enforcement, and jurists all need this crucial information. Failure to define consent creates disparate outcomes in convicting sexual predators as each jury grapples to create its own definition without guidance from New York State's statutes. This vital concept cannot be left to the loophole of a missing definition. The Committee of Codes holds the power to update New York’s penal code to meet the moment.

Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Sincerely,

Your name,

Address

Phone Number

E-mail Address