New York Assembly Forms Group to Review Sexual Assault Laws
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie formed a working group to review sexual assault laws following outrage over an alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity.
New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced the formation of a 14-lawmaker working group to review the state's sexual assault laws. The initiative follows national outrage over a lawsuit and a reopened criminal investigation into an alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity in 2024.
The working group is tasked with identifying legal gaps and developing legislative recommendations by the end of the year for consideration during the 2027 session. The move comes as State Senators Nathalia Fernandez, Jamaal Bailey, and Lea Webb, along with Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, push for reforms to redefine physically helpless and prohibit the use of a victim's voluntary intoxication as a legal defense.
While Senate bills S866 and S10632 passed the state senate unanimously, they have remained stalled in the assembly. Lawmakers advocating for the changes argue that current laws create a gap where victims who are voluntarily incapacitated cannot find grounds for justice. The working group will now determine the specific language needed to strengthen these laws and address the requirements for affirmative consent.
