The New Jersey State Bar Association supports S1265 (Beach)/A724 (Johnson), which includes the crime of creating false public alarms as form of bias intimidation.
The Association supports this proposed legislation because it will ultimately help to further deter bias crimes by enhancing the degree of the crime of creating a false public alarm if it is found to be part of bias intimidation. False public alarms, including swatting and bomb threats, are not covered under current New Jersey law, but are, unfortunately, common occurrences throughout the country. The bill will help to further prevent targeted discrimination against an individual or group of individuals because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity. This bill is a significant measure given the detrimental impact that false public alarms have had on communities throughout New Jersey.
For the reasons set forth above, the New Jersey State Bar Association supports S1265/A724 and urges you to vote yes to this legislation.