House File 340 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY HEDDENS, WESSEL=KROESCHELL, BUKTA, ABDUL=SAMAD, FREVERT, PETERSEN, SCHUELLER, GAYMAN, BERRY, WHITEAD, GASKILL, D. OLSON, WHITAKER, and MERTZ Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act providing for the characteristics of a victim of a hate 2 crime and making penalties applicable. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1620HH 82 5 rh/gg/14 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 729A.2, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1 2 2007, is amended to read as follows: 1 3 "Hate crime" means one of the following public offenses 1 4 when committed against a person or a person's property because 1 5 of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, 1 6 ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual 1 7 orientation, age, or disability, or the person's association 1 8 with a person of a certain actual or perceived race, color, 1 9 religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, 1 10 sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability: 1 11 EXPLANATION 1 12 This bill amends the definition of "hate crime" to include 1 13 an assault, individual rights violation, criminal mischief, or 1 14 trespass committed against a person or a person's property 1 15 because of the offender's bias against a person's actual or 1 16 perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, 1 17 political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or 1 18 disability. 1 19 The penalties for an assault in violation of individual 1 20 rights involving a hate crime range from a serious misdemeanor 1 21 to a class "D" felony and penalties for trespass in violation 1 22 of individual rights involving a hate crime are classified as 1 23 either a serious misdemeanor or an aggravated misdemeanor. 1 24 Penalties relating to the crimes of arson pursuant to Code 1 25 chapter 712 and criminal mischief involving a hate crime are 1 26 classified and punished as an offense one degree higher than 1 27 the underlying offense. 1 28 LSB 1620HH 82 1 29 rh:nh/gg/14