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Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025 (HR-59) · Congress.wiki

Recorded Votes

Recorded roll calls only

0 recorded

No recorded votes yet

Text Versions

Introduced in House

January 3, 2025•8 pages

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Laws This Bill Would Affect

1 new section1 amendment

Adds18 U.S.C. 28

Adds new section 28 to chapter 1 of title 18, United States Code, titled 'State of mind when not otherwise specifically provided.'

AmendsTable of sections for chapter 1 of title 18, U.S. Code

Amends the table of sections for chapter 1 of title 18 by adding an entry for the newly added section.

Sponsors (3)

Committee Meetings (1)

H.R. 589, the FACE Act Repeal Act of 2025; H.R. 3492, the Protect Children’s Innocence Act of 2025; H.R. 59, the Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025; H.R. 98, the End Endless Criminal Statutes Act; H.R. 2159, the Count the Crimes to Cut Act of 2025; and H.R. 421, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act

Committee on the JudiciaryRayburn House Office Building, 2141Jun 10, 2025 at 2:00 PM

Related Legislation

No Related Legislation

Amendments

No Amendments

AI Summary

This bill sets a clear rule for federal crimes about what someone had to know. If a law or federal rule doesn’t say what the person’s state of mind must be, prosecutors would have to prove the person acted “knowingly” for each part of the offense. This applies to crimes based on federal laws and on federal regulations. The goal is to spell out the mental state needed when a law is silent about it .

Key points:

Who is affected: People and organizations facing federal criminal charges, including those tied to federal regulations.
What changes: When a criminal law or rule doesn’t name a required mental state, the government must show the person knew what they were doing for each part of the crime.

House Votes

Pending Committee

January 3, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Senate Votes

Vote Data Not Available

Presidential Signature

Signature Data Not Available

All LegislationHouse Bill 59HR 59

Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025

Crime and Law Enforcement

8 pages

house
senate
president

Introduced January 3, 2025 by Andrew S. Biggs · Last progress January 3, 2025

Action History

CommitteeJune 10, 2025
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 15 - 13.
CommitteeJune 10, 2025
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
IntroReferralJanuary 3, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
IntroReferralJanuary 3, 2025
Introduced in House