SB 624 Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Assault and battery; definition of "Islamophobia", penalty.

Summary

Assault and battery; definition of "Islamophobia"; penalty. Defines "Islamophobia" as it relates to the crime of assault and battery as malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam or Muslims. This definition applies regardless of whether the victim is actually a practitioner of Islam, provided that the perpetrator targeted such victim based on a perceived adherence to such faith. The bill also clarifies that religious conviction includes Islam. The bill directs the Department of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to include the bill's definition of "Islamophobia" in its hate crime reporting central repository.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Courts of Justice Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from its original introduction to a substitute version proposed by the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice. The most significant substantive change is the removal of the explicit inclusion of 'Islam' and 'religious conviction (including Islam)' from the bias-motivated assault and battery provisions. This modification narrows the scope of protected categories in the hate crime enhancement, removing specific reference to Islamophobia while retaining other protected characteristics like race, gender, disability, and sexual orientation.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing explicit references to Islamophobia and religious conviction as protected categories for bias-motivated assault enhancements. The definition of 'Islamophobia' was removed from the statute text, though the substitute still appears to include it in the title and preamble.

SCOPE

Removed explicit references to 'Islam' and 'religious conviction (including Islam)' from the list of protected characteristics in subsections A and B, which define enhanced penalties for bias-motivated assaults.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Islamophobia' was removed from the statutory text in subsection H, though it remains in the bill title and preamble.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill status from 'Introduced' to 'Courts of Justice Substitute' with updated dates and formatting consistent with legislative committee amendments.

ENFORCEMENT

The Department of State Police's duty to incorporate the Islamophobia definition into the hate crime repository was removed from the enacted text, though the substitute still references this requirement in its preamble.

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Full legislative history

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Key actions

Committee

Feb 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate committee offered

upper

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

upper

1 primary · 16 co-sponsors