I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3515 
To facilitate the expedited review of anti-Semitic hate crimes, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2021 
Mr. KUSTOFF (for himself and Mr. MCCARTHY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To facilitate the expedited review of anti-Semitic hate crimes, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Anti-Se-
mitic Hate Crimes Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Jews are the targets of the majority of hate 
crimes committed in the United States against any 
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religious group, including attacks on houses of wor-
ship and Jewish community centers. 
(2) Amid ongoing conflict in May 2021 between 
Israel, which is one of the closest allies of the United 
States, and Hamas, which is a terrorist organization 
and has been designated by the United States as 
such since 1997, media reports indicate that there 
has been a dramatic increase in hate crimes and vio-
lence against Jews in the United States. 
(3) Media reports indicate that activists and 
mobs acting in support of the terrorist group, 
Hamas, and its sympathizers have incited and per-
petrated hate crimes and violence against Jews in 
the United States in 2021. 
(4) A recent survey conducted by the Anti-Def-
amation League indicates that 63 percent of Amer-
ican Jews have directly experienced or witnessed 
anti-Semitic hate incidents within the past five 
years. 
(5) Anti-Semitism has long perpetrated myths 
about Jews, including the Russian fabrication of the 
Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the wide circula-
tion of libelous falsehoods about the Jewish murder 
of infants. 
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(6) In its most extreme form, anti-Semitism 
aims at the physical destruction of the Jewish peo-
ple, as seen in pogroms, forced conversions and Nazi 
Germany’s murder of over six million Jews. 
(7) Anti-Semitism has included attacks on the 
livelihood of Jews including prohibitions on land 
ownership, campaigns to boycott, confiscate or de-
stroy Jewish businesses, and denial of the ability of 
Jews to practice certain professions. 
(8) In the United States, Jews have suffered 
from systematic discrimination in the form of exclu-
sion from home ownership in certain neighborhoods, 
prohibition from staying in certain hotels, restric-
tions upon membership in private clubs and other 
associations, limitations upon admission to certain 
educational institutions and other barriers to equal 
justice under the law. 
(9) In the United States, Jews have faced, and 
continue to face, false accusations of divided loyalty 
between the United States and Israel, false claims 
that they purchase political power with money, and 
false accusations about control of the financial sys-
tem, along with other negative stereotypes. 
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(10) The people of the United States stand in 
solidarity with those affected by hate incidents di-
rected toward the American Jewish community. 
SEC. 3. REVIEW OF HATE CRIMES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 7 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 
designate an officer or employee of the Department of 
Justice whose responsibility during the applicable period 
shall be to facilitate the expedited review of anti-Semitic 
hate crimes (as described in section 249 of title 18, United 
States Code) and reports of any such crime to Federal, 
State, local, or Tribal law enforcement agencies. 
(b) APPLICABLE PERIOD DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘applicable period’’ means the period beginning 
on the date on which the officer or employee is designated 
under subsection (a), and ending on the date that is 3 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, except that 
the Attorney General may extend such period as appro-
priate. 
SEC. 4. IMPROVING ANTI-SEMITIC HATE CRIME PREVEN-
TION EFFORTS. 
(a) GUIDANCE
FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN-
CIES.—The Attorney General shall issue guidance for 
State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies, pursu-
ant to this Act and other applicable law, on how to expand 
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evant United States Attorney, the Criminal Di-
vision, or the Civil Rights Division; and 
(D) other efforts undertaken by the De-
partment of Justice during the preceding 90 
days to reduce the number of anti-Semitic hate 
crimes in the United States. 
(2) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES DEFINED.—As used in this section, the term 
‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
Senate; 
(B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
House of Representatives; 
(C) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate; and 
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives. 
(c) ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR REPEAT VIOLENT 
HATE CRIME OFFENDERS.—Section 249 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (a)(1)(B) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(B) shall be imprisoned for any term of 
years or for life, fined in accordance with this 
title, or both, if— 
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‘‘(i) the violation of this section occurs 
after a prior conviction under this section 
or a hate crime felony under State law has 
become final; 
‘‘(ii) death results from the offense; or 
‘‘(iii) the offense includes kidnapping 
or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual 
abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated 
sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (a)(2)(A)(ii) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(ii) shall be imprisoned for any term 
of years or for life, fined in accordance 
with this title, or both, if— 
‘‘(I) the violation of this section 
occurs after a prior conviction under 
this section or a hate crime felony 
under State law has become final; 
‘‘(II) death results from the of-
fense; or 
‘‘(III) the offense includes kid-
napping or an attempt to kidnap, ag-
gravated sexual abuse or an attempt 
to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or 
an attempt to kill.’’; and 
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(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’; 
(B) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) the term ‘hate crime felony under State 
law’ means any crime under State law that— 
‘‘(A) is punishable by more than one year; 
and 
‘‘(B) has as an element the use, attempted 
use, or threatened use of physical force against 
the person or property of another because of 
any actual or perceived characteristic listed in 
subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2).’’. 
Æ 
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