NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y. — Lawmakers in Nassau County, New York are set to vote Monday on a proposal that would allow police officers to sue protesters and collect financial damages.
The bill being considered by the Nassau County Legislature would make police officers and other first responders a protected class under the county’s Human Rights Law, which currently bars discrimination based on race, religion, gender and sexual orientation. No other professions are protected under the Human Rights Law, FOX News reported.
The controversial bill would allow an attorney for the Long Island county to file suit against protesters on behalf of officers and calls for fines of up to $25,000 for anyone who harasses, menaces or injures an officer. The fine amount would be doubled if the offending behavior happened “in the course of participating in a riot,” according to the proposed law.
The legislature is controlled by Republicans. The County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, hasn’t said whether she’d sign or veto the bill if it’s approved by the lawmakers.
