Bill > S890

This bill, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, aims to increase the scope and punishment of hate crimes in North Carolina. It expands the definition of hate crimes to include crimes committed based on the victim's race, ethnicity, color, religion, nationality, country of origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or sexual orientation. The bill also allows civil actions for damages by victims or their family members and mandates restorative justice sessions in some cases. Additionally, it requires the State Bureau of Investigation to create and maintain a hate crimes statistics database, and it mandates law enforcement training on identifying, responding to, and reporting hate crimes.