Relates to assaults against water authority employees

S 8942 elevates assaults against water authority employees performing their duties to a felony offense. It directly affects workers employed by public benefit corporations (like water utilities) governed by Article 5 of New York’s Public Authorities Law. The bill adds a new provision (Subdivision 11-d) to the penal law, making it a felony to cause physical injury to these employees while they are supplying water to residents. This changes the legal penalty from a misdemeanor to a felony for this specific type of assault, without altering other existing protections for public safety or emergency personnel.