On January, 14, 2020, New York State Senate Bill S5786A establishing a task force to explore the effects of cyberbullying in New York and potential measures to address such effects passed in the Investigations and Government Operations Committee by a vote of 7-0 and received its first call to the Senate floor calendar during the current legislative session.

The bill is sponsored by Senator Todd Kaminsky and co-sponsored by Senators David Carlucci, Anna M. Kaplan, Jen Metzger, and Luis R. Sepulveda.

During last year’s legislative session, a previous version of the bill passed in the Senate by a vote of 59-3. It was referred to the Assembly’s Governmental Operations Committee but was not addressed.

If you are a New York State resident, please reach out to your elected officials and encourage them to support this important legislation that will make a meaningful difference.

Find your New York State senator at nysenate.gov/find-my-senator.

Find your New York State assemblyperson at nyassembly.gov/mem/search/.

Time is of the essence, as the legislative session goes by quickly, and there are many bills that need to be addressed. This bill will establish a task force to identify the most common victims of cyberbullying, common mediums used, and ways to address its impact.

As the bill shares, “the National Crime Prevention Council reports that 43% of students have reported being victims of cyberbullying and many of them experience it more than once.” Our youth deserve better initiatives to help prevent cyberbullying and to support those who experience it.