Clarifying a hate crime offense.
House Bill 1052 clarifies the definition of a hate crime offense in Washington state, applying to individuals who commit malicious and intentional acts against others based on perceived protected characteristics. It specifies that assault, property damage, or threats made due to a person's perceived race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability constitute a hate crime. The bill also outlines specific acts, such as burning a cross or defacing property with Nazi symbols, that can be used to infer intent to threaten a victim based on their perceived characteristics. Commission of a hate crime offense is established as a Class C felony.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2024
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Dec 12, 2024
Signed May 12, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed Bill
→
Passed Legislature
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill adds a certification page confirming the bill passed both chambers of the legislature. It modifies the definition of a hate crime by changing the required causal link from 'whole or in substantial part' to 'whole or in part,' meaning a bias motive is sufficient even if other factors contributed. The definition of a 'threat' was also updated to clarify that threats can be directed at anyone, not just the immediate victim.
Scope change
The scope of hate crime liability was expanded to include cases where bias is only one of several motives for the crime, rather than requiring it to be a primary or substantial cause.
TECHNICAL
Added a formal certification of enrollment page to document the bill's passage by the House and Senate.
DEFINITION
Changed the causation standard for hate crimes from 'whole or in substantial part' to 'whole or in part,' lowering the threshold for proving bias was a motivating factor.
Updated the definition of 'threat' to clarify that threats can be made against any person, not just the specific victim of the alleged hate crime.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 3, 2025 · House Feb 13, 2025
How they voted
32–19
Passed
Total votes 51
Apr 3, 2025
D
Democratic31
100% Yea
R
Republican20
95% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
30
Key actions
16
Committee
10
May 12, 2025
Signed into law
Governor signed.
executive
Apr 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
President signed.
upper
Apr 18, 2025
Lower · Passed
Speaker signed.
lower
Apr 18, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed final passage; yeas, 59; nays, 38; absent, 0; excused, 1.
lower
Apr 18, 2025
Lower · Passed
House concurred in Senate amendments.
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (32-19)
senate
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
LAW - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Floor amendment(s) adopted.
lower
Jan 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Jan 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
lower
Jan 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
CS - Majority; do pass.
lower
Jan 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Community Safety at 8:30 AM.
lower
Jan 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Community Safety at 2:00 PM.
lower
1 primary · 22 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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