Urges Federal Bureau of Investigation to include in Uniform Crime Report September 11, 2001 terror attack victims in hate crime statistics.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Dawn Fantasia

NJ urges FBI to classify 9/11 victims as hate-motivated murder in the UCR statistics.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee

Purpose and Intent

This Assembly resolution urges the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to classify and include the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as victims of hate-motivated murder in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR).

The sponsor argues that, although 9/11 victims were victims of a terror attack, their inclusion as hate-motivated murder would preserve the integrity and meaning of the term “hate-motivated murder” within the UCR hate crime statistics.

Key Provisions

Section 1: Declaration of the General Assembly’s request to the FBI to add the victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attack to the UCR data as victims of hate-motivated murder.

Section 2: Directs the Clerk of the General Assembly to transmit copies of the resolution to the FBI Director, via the Secretary of State (i.e., formal transmission for consideration).

Background Context Highlighted

The resolution references the 1990 federal Hate Crime Statistics Act, under which the FBI began collecting data on bias-m motivated crimes (by race, religion, ethnicity/national origin, gender identity, disability).

It notes 9,730 bias-motivated incidents and 10 hate-motivated murders in 2001 per the FBI’s data, and it points out that New York City had 649 murders in 2001 (a notable decline from the prior year).

The FBI published information about the 9/11 attacks in a special report but did not classify the victims as murder victims or hate-motivated murder within the UCR’s standard hate crime statistics.

Affected Parties and Impact

Primary Beneficiary: Public understanding and historical accounting within UCR hate crime statistics; advocates and policymakers who track hate-m crime data.

Government/Agency Impact: Calls for FBI to adjust data classification within the UCR framework. No immediate fiscal impact is specified; the resolution seeks a data/statistical reclassification rather than new agency programs.

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

Status: Introduced and referred on May 4, 2026, to the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee.

Action Requested: The FBI would need to reconcile and reclassify or re-tabulate the September 11, 2001 victims as hate-motivated murder within the UCR’s hate crime statistics.

Likely Next Steps: Committee consideration, potential amendments, and potential floor action in the Assembly; ultimately, the resolution serves as a formal request rather than a law requiring immediate implementation.

Notes for Readers

This is a formal state-level resolution urging federal action; it does not mandate changes to federal law but aims to influence FBI data practices.

The focus is on preserving the conceptual meaning of “hate-motivated murder” in official crime statistics and ensuring the 9/11 victims are represented accordingly within the UCR framework.

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