S. 937 · 117th Congress

COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

Introduced on Mar 23, 2021 by Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI). 44 cosponsors, all from the sponsor's party. Became Public Law 117-13.

Stage
Became law
Public Law 117-13
Introduced
Mar 23, 2021
Cosponsors
44
0 from the other party
Policy area
Crime and Law Enforcement
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Sent to the President
  6. Became law

Official title

A bill to facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Cardiovascular and respiratory health
  • Community life and organization
  • Crime prevention
  • Crime victims
  • Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
  • Criminal justice information and records
  • Criminal procedure and sentencing
  • Department of Justice
  • Disability and health-based discrimination
  • Emergency medical services and trauma care
  • Executive agency funding and structure
  • Federal officials
  • Foreign language and bilingual programs
  • Government information and archives
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Hate crimes
  • Infectious and parasitic diseases
  • Law enforcement administration and funding
  • Law enforcement officers
  • Racial and ethnic relations
  • Religion
  • Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
  • State and local government operations

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Public Law, May 20, 2021). Public domain.

COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

This bill requires a designated officer or employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate the expedited review of hate crimes and reports of hate crimes.

DOJ must issue guidance for state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies on establishing online hate crime reporting processes, collecting data disaggregated by protected characteristic (e.g., race or national origin), and expanding education campaigns.

Additionally, DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services must issue guidance aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.

The bill establishes grants for states to create state-run hate crimes reporting hotlines. It also authorizes grants for states and local governments to implement the National Incident-Based Reporting System and to conduct law enforcement activities or crime reduction programs to prevent, address, or respond to hate crimes.

Finally, in the case of an individual convicted of a hate crime offense and placed on supervised release, the bill allows a court to order that the individual participate in educational classes or community service as a condition of supervised release.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Mazie K. HironoD-HISponsor

Democrats · 42

Independents · 2

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed
    Apr 14, 2021· Senate· Cloture· Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to 92–6
  2. On the Motion to Proceed
    Apr 15, 2021· Senate· Procedural· Motion to Proceed Agreed to 49–45
  3. On the Amendment
    Apr 22, 2021· Senate· Amendments· Amendment Rejected 49–48
  4. On the Amendment
    Apr 22, 2021· Senate· Amendments· Amendment Rejected 49–48
  5. On the Amendment
    Apr 22, 2021· Senate· Amendments· Amendment Rejected 46–51
  6. On Passage of the Bill
    Apr 22, 2021· Senate· Passage· Bill Passed 94–1
  7. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
    May 18, 2021· House· Passage· Passed 364–62

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Mar 23, 2021Introduced in Senate
  2. Mar 23, 2021 · SenateIntroduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
  3. Mar 24, 2021 · SenateRead the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 13.
  4. Mar 25, 2021 · SenateMotion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S1804-1805)
  5. Mar 25, 2021 · SenateCloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S1805)
  6. Apr 14, 2021 · SenateCloture on the motion to proceed invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 92 - 6. Record Vote Number: 151. (CR S1923)Senate · Roll call 151
  7. Apr 14, 2021 · SenateMotion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (CR S1923)
  8. Apr 15, 2021 · SenateMotion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (CR S1953)
  9. Apr 15, 2021 · SenateMotion to proceed to consideration of measure agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
  10. Apr 15, 2021 · SenateMeasure laid before Senate by motion. (consideration: CR S1998)
  11. Apr 19, 2021 · SenateConsidered by Senate. (consideration: CR S2002-2003)
  12. Apr 20, 2021 · SenateConsidered by Senate. (consideration: CR S2043, S2046, S2058)
  13. Apr 20, 2021 · SenateCloture motion on the measure presented in Senate. (CR S2061)
  14. Apr 21, 2021 · SenateCloture motion on the measure withdrawn by unanimous consent in Senate. (CR S2117)
  15. Apr 22, 2021 · SenateConsidered by Senate. (consideration: CR S2140-2148)
  16. Apr 22, 2021Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate, under the order of 4/21/21, having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 94 - 1. Record Vote Number: 165.(text: CR S2148-2150)Senate · Roll call 165
  17. Apr 22, 2021 · SenatePassed Senate, under the order of 4/21/21, having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 94 - 1. Record Vote Number: 165. (text: CR S2148-2150)Senate · Roll call 165
  18. Apr 22, 2021 · SenateMessage on Senate action sent to the House.
  19. Apr 26, 2021 · HouseReceived in the House.
  20. Apr 26, 2021 · HouseHeld at the desk.
  21. May 18, 2021 · HouseMr. Nadler moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  22. May 18, 2021 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2464-2472)
  23. May 18, 2021 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 937.
  24. May 18, 2021 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  25. May 18, 2021 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2479-2480)
  26. May 18, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 364 - 62 (Roll no. 145).(text: CR H2464-2466)House · Roll call 145
  27. May 18, 2021 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 364 - 62 (Roll no. 145). (text: CR H2464-2466)House · Roll call 145
  28. May 18, 2021 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  29. May 19, 2021Presented to President.
  30. May 19, 2021 · HousePresented to President.
  31. May 20, 2021Signed by President.
  32. May 20, 2021Signed by President.
  33. May 20, 2021Became Public Law No: 117-13.
  34. May 20, 2021Became Public Law No: 117-13.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 5, 2026 · loaded Oct 5, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.