An Act further defining a hate crime

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by David DeCoste

Expands hate crime law to cover attacks on police officers causing serious injury or death, adding officer-targeted violence to hate crime prosecutions.

Hearing scheduled for 09/25/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

Purpose and intent

The bill amends the Massachusetts hate crimes statute to broaden the scope of acts that qualify as hate crimes.

Specifically, it expands protections to include violence against law enforcement officers when the act results in serious injury or death, framing such attacks as hate crimes in addition to existing categories of intimidation.

Key provisions

Section 32 of Chapter 22C is amended by inserting after the words “or intimidation” the following: “, or an attack on a police officer which results in serious injury or death.”

In practical terms, this placement adds attacks on police officers resulting in serious injury or death to the list of acts that can be prosecuted as hate crimes under Chapter 22C.

Who and what is affected

Affected parties:

Law enforcement officers and police personnel, who may now be protected by hate crime provisions when targeted with violent acts motivated by hate.
Defendants and individuals accused of bias-motivated crimes, who could face enhanced charges and penalties under the hate crime framework for offenses involving police officers.
Public safety agencies and prosecutors, who would apply the hate crime statute to include police-targeted assaults causing serious injury or death.

The change does not specify additional protected classes beyond extending the scope to include police-targeted violence; it focuses on incidents against officers as part of hate crime definitions.

Procedural and timeline details

Introduction and filing:

Introduced February 27, 2025 (House No. 2596; House Docket No. 4122).

Committee and actions:

Referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on February 27, 2025.
Senate concurrence noted on February 27, 2025 (indicating cross-chamber consideration in the filing record).

Hearing:

A hearing is scheduled for September 25, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM in room A-2.

Related measures:

House Bill HD 4122 is noted as a related file and is described as replacing the earlier version.

Additional context

This is a targeted expansion of the hate crime statute to address violence against police officers, aligning with public safety priorities to deter and punish bias-motivated violence against law enforcement.

The bill’s impact will depend on how prosecutors apply the amended statute and whether accompanying clarifications (e.g., definitions of motive) are provided in the bill’s text or via committee amendments.

If you’d like, I can compare this bill to prior related measures (e.g., House 2315 of 2023-2024) or outline potential fiscal implications based on typical hate crime statute enhancements.

Bill