SB 179

Abstract

Hate crimes; gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation; penalty. Adds gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense. The bill also adds gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the categories of hate crimes that are to be reported to the central repository of information regarding hate crimes maintained by the Virginia State Police. The bill provides that a person who is subjected to acts of intimidation or harassment, violence directed against his person, or vandalism to his real or personal property, where such acts are motivated by gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation, may bring a civil action to recover his damages. The bill also provides that no provider or user of an interactive computer service on the Internet shall be liable for any action voluntarily taken by it in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be intended to incite hatred on the basis of gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The bill also eliminates the mandatory minimum terms of confinement for such hate crimes.

Hate crimes; gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation; penalty. Adds gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the categories of victims whose intentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assault and battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's property results in a higher criminal penalty for the offense. The bill also adds gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the categories of hate crimes that are to be reported to the central repository of information regarding hate crimes maintained by the Virginia State Police. The bill provides that a person who is subjected to acts of intimidation or harassment, violence directed against his person, or vandalism to his real or personal property, where such acts are motivated by gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation, may bring a civil action to recover his damages. The bill also provides that no provider or user of an interactive computer service on the Internet shall be liable for any action voluntarily taken by it in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be intended to incite hatred on the basis of gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The bill also eliminates the mandatory minimum terms of confinement for such hate crimes. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Hate crimes; gender, disability, gender identity,or sexual orientation; penalty. Adds gender, disability, genderidentity, and sexual orientation to the categories of victims whoseintentional selection for a hate crime involving assault, assaultand battery, or trespass for the purpose of damaging another's propertyresults in a higher criminal penalty for the offense. The bill alsoadds gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientationto the categories of hate crimes that are to be reported to the centralrepository of information regarding hate crimes maintained by the Virginia State Police. The bill provides that a person who is subjectedto acts of intimidation or harassment, violence directed againsthis person, or vandalism to his real or personal property, wheresuch acts are motivated by gender, disability, gender identity, orsexual orientation, may bring a civil action to recover his damages.The bill also provides that no provider or user of an interactivecomputer service on the Internet shall be liable for any action voluntarilytaken by it in good faith to restrict access to material that the provider or user considers to be intended to incite hatred on thebasis of gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.