Clarifies hate crimes to include political affiliation and other protected categories.

The bill amends Washington state law to clarify that hate crimes include acts motivated by perception of a person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability. It specifies acts such as burning a cross, defacing religious property, or threatening a person or group. The bill also renames the offense to "hate crime offense" and establishes a multidisciplinary working group to recommend best practices for identifying and responding to hate crimes.

Clarifies hate crimes to include political affiliation and other protected categories.

The bill amends Washington state law to clarify that hate crimes include acts motivated by perception of a person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability. It specifies acts such as burning a cross, defacing religious property, or threatening a person or group. The bill also renames the offense to "hate crime offense" and establishes a multidisciplinary working group to recommend best practices for identifying and responding to hate crimes.