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119-s-3724119th Congress

Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would link federal grant eligibility to credible hate crime reporting by local jurisdictions with more than 100,000 people. It creates a federal evaluation process that uses Hate Crimes Statistics Act data to assess whether jurisdictions report hate crimes and can make jurisdictions ineligible for allocations if they fail to report or report zero incidents.

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  • Local governments with population over 100,000 would need to credibly report hate crimes to remain eligible for allocations under this section. If a jurisdiction is found not credibly reporting for a year it is ineligible for the following fiscal year's allocation unless the Attorney General certifies a qualifying public education exception.
  • The Attorney General must establish a method within three years to evaluate reporting credibility and then apply that method each year. The Attorney General must also publish an annual report listing jurisdictions certified under the exception.
  • Evaluations must rely on data acquired under the Hate Crimes Statistics Act and the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System. The bill defines "hate crime" by referencing that Act and specified federal criminal statutes and creates two alternative pathways for meeting the "significant community public education" standard.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Grant rules and reporting checks

If enacted, the bill would say which local governments count as covered jurisdictions for these grants: those that asked for a grant and have more than 100,000 people. The Attorney General would have 3 years to make a method to check, every year, whether each covered jurisdiction credibly reports hate crimes to the FBI. If a covered jurisdiction did not report data or reported zero incidents in a year, it would be ineligible for an allocation the next fiscal year. The Attorney General could certify a jurisdiction as exempt if it ran significant community education or met other listed steps, and DOJ would publish a yearly list of certified exceptions.

Definition of "hate crime" clarified

If enacted, the bill would define "hate crime" for this program to include acts listed in the Hate Crime Statistics Act and violations of 18 U.S.C. sections 241, 245, 247, and 249. This definition would guide law enforcement reporting, DOJ evaluations, and eligibility checks under the section.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]

HI • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]

    ME • R

    Sponsored 1/29/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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