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House Judiciary committee advances Mens Rea Reform Act after heated debate
Summary
The House Judiciary Committee adopted an amendment-in-the-nature-of-a-substitute and voted to report HR 59, the Mens Rea Reform Act, favorably to the House after lawmakers split on whether Congress should impose a default "knowingly" mental-state standard before completing an inventory of federal crimes.
The House Judiciary Committee voted to report HR 59, the Mens Rea Reform Act, favorably to the House after adopting an amendment in the nature of a substitute, capping a long debate about whether Congress should set a default criminal-mental-state rule now or first inventory federal offenses.
Supporters say the bill restores a basic requirement of criminal law — that the government generally must prove a defendant acted knowingly — for federal offenses that do not include an explicit mens rea element.
Representative Biggs (Arizona) told the committee the bill "restores the essential element of criminal law, the culpable mental state," and warned…
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