House File 120 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 120 BY HUNTER , OLSON , JACOBY , ANDERSON , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , KRESSIG , CAHILL , WILBURN , STAED , KONFRST , JAMES , MASCHER , GJERDE , and EHLERT A BILL FOR An Act modifying the elements defining hate crimes, and 1 providing penalties. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1619YH (6) 89 as/rh
H.F. 120 Section 1. Section 729A.2, Code 2021, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 729A.2 Violation of individual rights —— hate crime. 3 1. “Hate crime” means one of the following public offenses 4 when committed against a person or a person’s property because 5 of the person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national 6 origin, political affiliation, gender identity, gender 7 expression, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability, or the 8 person’s association with a person of a certain race, color, 9 religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, 10 gender identity, gender expression, sex, sexual orientation, 11 age, or disability: 12 1. a. Assault in violation of individual rights under 13 section 708.2C . 14 2. b. Violations of individual rights under section 712.9 . 15 3. c. Criminal mischief in violation of individual rights 16 under section 716.6A . 17 4. d. Trespass in violation of individual rights under 18 section 716.8, subsections 3 and 4 . 19 2. For purposes of this section: 20 a. “Gender expression” means actual or perceived 21 gender-related characteristics. 22 b. “Gender identity” means a gender-related identity of a 23 person, regardless of the person’s assigned sex at birth. 24 EXPLANATION 25 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 26 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 27 This bill includes additional, alternative elements defining 28 the various offenses labeled as hate crimes. 29 The bill amends Code section 729A.2 by modifying a “hate 30 crime” to include certain offenses (assault in violation of 31 individual rights under Code section 708.2C; violations of 32 individual rights under Code section 712.9; criminal mischief 33 in violation of individual rights under Code section 716.6A; 34 and trespass in violation of individual rights under Code 35 -1- LSB 1619YH (6) 89 as/rh 1/ 2
H.F. 120 section 716.8(3) and (4)) committed against a person or a 1 person’s property because of the person’s gender identity or 2 gender expression or because of the person’s association with 3 a person of a certain gender identity or gender expression. 4 The bill provides definitions of “gender identity” and “gender 5 expression”. 6 The penalty for a person who commits a hate crime classified 7 as an assault in violation of individual rights under Code 8 section 708.2C ranges from a serious misdemeanor to a class “D” 9 felony depending on the circumstances of the offense. 10 The penalty for a person who commits a hate crime that is 11 a violation of individual rights under Code section 712.9 is 12 reclassified and punished as an offense one degree higher 13 than the underlying offense, and the penalty for a person who 14 commits a hate crime that is criminal mischief in violation of 15 individual rights under Code section 716.6A is reclassified and 16 punished as an offense one degree higher than the underlying 17 offense. 18 The penalty for a person who commits a hate crime that is a 19 trespass in violation of individual rights under Code section 20 716.8(3) is a serious misdemeanor, and the penalty for a person 21 who commits a hate crime that is a trespass in violation of 22 individual rights under Code section 716.8(4) is an aggravated 23 misdemeanor. 24 -2- LSB 1619YH (6) 89 as/rh 2/ 2