COLUMBUS, Ohio — A group of Democratic lawmakers in the Ohio House has introduced legislation aiming to establish a Hate Crime Unit within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. House Bill 157, introduced on April 25, has been sponsored by Rep. Casey Weinstein and Rep. Anita Somani.
The bill seeks to enact sections 109.50 and 109.96 of the Revised Code, thereby creating the Bureau of Hate Crimes in the Office of the Attorney General and authorizing the Attorney General to prosecute hate crimes.
The legislation defines a “hate crime” as a crime motivated by prejudice based on actual or perceived race, color, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation.
The proposed Bureau of Hate Crimes would be responsible for employing a staff of investigators skilled in solving and controlling hate crimes and related criminal activity. The bureau would also collect statistics, provide assistance in the prevention of hate crimes, and engage in other activities to aid law enforcement officers in solving hate crimes and controlling related criminal activity.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, as of 2021, there were 20 recognized hate groups operating in Ohio. The FBI reported that there were 10,840 hate crime incidents involving 12,411 offenses nationwide.
The bill would grant the Attorney General the authority to initiate criminal proceedings for any crime deemed a hate crime, providing them with the same rights, privileges, and powers as a prosecuting attorney, including appearing before a grand jury and interrogating witnesses.
If passed, the Attorney General’s website would also feature a dedicated page for the Bureau of Hate Crimes, providing contact information for reporting suspected hate crime occurrences.
