N.Y. PEN Law § 490.00

§ 490.00 Legislative findings.\n The devastating consequences of the recent barbaric attack on the\nWorld Trade Center and the Pentagon underscore the compelling need for\nlegislation that is specifically designed to combat the evils of\nterrorism. Indeed, the bombings of American embassies in Kenya and\nTanzania in 1998, the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, Pan Am\nFlight number 103 in Lockerbie in 1988, the 1997 shooting atop the\nEmpire State Building, the 1994 murder of Ari Halberstam on the Brooklyn\nBridge and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, will forever\nserve to remind us that terrorism is a serious and deadly problem that\ndisrupts public order and threatens individual safety both at home and\naround the world. Terrorism is inconsistent with civilized society and\ncannot be tolerated.\n Although certain federal laws seek to curb the incidence of terrorism,\nthere are no corresponding state laws that facilitate the prosecution\nand punishment of terrorists in state courts. Inexplicably, there is\nalso no criminal penalty in this state for a person who solicits or\nraises funds for, or provides other material support or resources to,\nthose who commit or encourage the commission of horrific and cowardly\nacts of terrorism. Nor do our criminal laws proscribe the making of\nterrorist threats or punish with appropriate severity those who hinder\nthe prosecution of terrorists. Finally, our death penalty statute must\nbe strengthened so that the cold-blooded execution of an individual for\nterrorist purposes is a capital offense.\n A comprehensive state law is urgently needed to complement federal\nlaws in the fight against terrorism and to better protect all citizens\nagainst terrorist acts. Accordingly, the legislature finds that our laws\nmust be strengthened to ensure that terrorists, as well as those who\nsolicit or provide financial and other support to terrorists, are\nprosecuted and punished in state courts with appropriate severity.\n