# 119-hr-4187: Stop Hate Crimes Act of 2025

119-hr-4187, Stop Hate Crimes Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA); status introduced (as of 2026-09-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4187
- As of: 2026-09-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4187
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Hate Crimes Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-06-26
- Sponsor: Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-26

## Summary

**Clarifies the causation standard for federal hate crimes.** The bill would amend 18 U.S.C. 249(a) to replace the phrase "because of" with "if" and to require that a protected characteristic "was a contributory motivating factor for causing or attempting to cause such injury." - People targeted for protected characteristics like race, religion, or disability would see federal hate-crime charges hinge on whether bias contributed to the injury, not just whether it was a general motive. - Federal prosecutors and investigators would have to allege and prove that bias was a contributory motivating factor when pursuing charges under 18 U.S.C. 249. - Federal courts and defense attorneys would use the clarified wording to guide charging decisions, trial arguments, and jury instructions in hate-crime cases.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] (D-GA), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2025-06-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Clearer bias test in federal hate crimes: benefit, high. This bill would clarify how prosecutors must prove bias in federal hate-crime cases. It would replace "because of" with "if" and add that a protected trait was a "contributory motivating factor" in causing or attempting to cause injury. If passed, this could make it clearer or easier to show bias i…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-4187 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4187)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4187 (as of 2026-09-26).