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Committee hears bill to clarify hate-crime standard by adding ‘in whole or in part’
Summary
Representative Cindy Ryu told the Community Safety Committee that House Bill 1052 would amend Washington’s hate‑crime statute to add “in whole or in part,” allowing juries to find bias was a contributing motive even if it was not the only motive.
Representative Cindy Ryu, sponsor of House Bill 1052, told the House Community Safety Committee that the bill would clarify Washington’s hate‑crime statute by adding the phrase “in whole or in part,” allowing juries to find bias was a contributing motive even if it was not the sole motive.
The change, Ryu said, “ensures that the jurors understand that the defendant's bias does not need to be the only motive,” and seeks to hold defendants accountable when bias is a contributing factor in assaults, property damage or threats.
Corey Patton, staff to the committee, summarized the bill for the record and noted that under existing law a person commits a hate‑crime offense when they maliciously and intentionally commit one of three specified acts because of their perception of protected characteristics; the bill would add the language “in whole or in part” to…
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