A second try at cyberbully law
Jordan Carleo-Evangelist
Albany
County lawmakers have drafted a narrower version of the cyberbullying law struck down by the state's highest court this month.
But the new version has yet to be vetted by County Attorney Thomas Marcelle, whose office was charged with defending the flawed 2010 law that the Court of Appeals ruled violated the First Amendment protection of free speech by reaching "far beyond the cyberbullying of children."
The court's chief gripes with the measure, which is intended to protect children from online bullying, were that it was written in a way that applied to both children and adults and so broadly defined the crime that it covered "every conceivable form of electronic communication" — not just those online.
The new version, introduced Monday night — two weeks after the court's July 1 decision — seeks to address those problems, said Guilderland Democrat Bryan Clenahan, the primary sponsor.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/A-second-try-at-cyberbully-law-5621543.php