{"id":4054,"date":"2024-12-13T10:02:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T17:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/dhingra\/?p=4054"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:36:37","slug":"dhingra-ryu-bill-would-strengthen-state-hate-crime-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/dhingra\/2024\/12\/13\/dhingra-ryu-bill-would-strengthen-state-hate-crime-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Dhingra, Ryu bill would strengthen state hate crime laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">OLYMPIA \u2013 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Defendants in hate crime cases could be held accountable if a jury determines their actions were motivated by bias, even if bias isn\u2019t their only motivation, under a bill pre-filed Thursday in the Washington State Legislature.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/BillSummary\/?BillNumber=5038&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false\">SB 5038<\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary?billnumber=1052&amp;year=2025\">HB <\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary?billnumber=1052&amp;year=2025\">1052<\/a> <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">would change language in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.leg.wa.gov\/rcw\/default.aspx?cite=9A.36.080\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">RCW 9A.36.080<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, which currently reads, \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">A person is guilty of a hate crime offense if the person maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of their perception of another person&#8217;s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The bill changes \u201cbecause of\u201d to instead read, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cin whole or in part because of\u201d to ensure jurors understand the defendant\u2019s bias does not need to be the only motive. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThe current language of the Washington hate crime statute leads to not guilty verdicts, even in the face of clear evidence of racially motivated violence,\u201d said Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), prime sponsor of the Senate bill. \u201cBy changing the language, we can hold individuals accountable if a jury finds their violence is motivated by bias, without requiring them to find that bias was the only motivation.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hate crimes often have mixed motives and exist on a spectrum, from spitting on someone due to their race to vandalizing cultural centers or churches to arson targeting LGBTQ+ clubs. These crimes can be spontaneous or preplanned.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cNo matter the context or circumstance, or how violent, all hate crimes have a traumatic effect on the people and communities targeted and even in cases where it is the single motive, it is easy to make up an excuse for biased motivated violence,\u201d said <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yessenia Manzo, King County senior deputy prosecutor.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If passed, Washington would join a number of other states with similar language acknowledging mixed motive for bias crimes, including California, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Colorado, Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cNo one should feel unsafe because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, or any other aspect of their identity,\u201d said Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), prime sponsor of the House bill. \u201cBy refining the language in our hate crime statute, we are empowering juries to hold perpetrators accountable and affirming our commitment to protecting every member of our community. This is about fairness, dignity, and ensuring the justice system works for everyone.&#8221;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The 2025 legislative session begins Jan. 13.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OLYMPIA \u2013 Defendants in hate crime cases could be held accountable if a jury determines their actions were motivated by bias, even if bias isn\u2019t their only motivation, under a bill pre-filed Thursday in the Washington State Legislature.\u00a0 SB 5038\/HB 1052 would change language in RCW 9A.36.080, which currently reads, \u201cA person is guilty of a hate crime offense if the person maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of their perception of another person&#8217;s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability.\u201d\u00a0 The bill changes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":4252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dhingra, Ryu bill would strengthen state hate crime laws - Sen. 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