COVID–19 Hate Crimes Act

COVID - 19 Hate Crimes Act This bill requires a designated officer or employee of the Department of Justice to facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) hate crimes and reports of COVID-19 hate crimes. It defines COVID-19 hate crime as a violent crime that is motivated by two things: (1) the actual or perceived characteristic (e.g., race) of any person, and (2) the actual or perceived relationship to the spread of COVID-19 of any person because of that characteristic. The designated officer or employee must periodically report on the status of each case reviewed.