Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025 was reported by committee and awaits a floor vote
IntroducedJan 3, 2025
ReportedJun 10, 2025
Passed one chamber—
Passed both—
Law—
What it changes · CRS summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service [2]. 58 words.
Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025 This bill establishes a default mens rea standard (i.e., state of mind requirement) for federal criminal offenses—statutory and regulatory—that lack an explicit standard. The government must generally prove that a defendant acted knowingly with respect to each element of an offense for which the text does not specify a state of mind.
Context
- Committees
- House Judiciary Committee
- Policy area
- Crime and Law Enforcement: 118 of 4,553 bills became law, 113th–118th (2.6%)
- Sponsor
- 1 of 854 bills enacted since 2013
- Text versions
- 1: introduced in house · 1,034 words
- Subjects
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogationCriminal procedure and sentencing
- Latest action
- Jun 10, 2025: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 15 - 13.
- Records
- Congress.gov · Bill text
Exhibit 1Passage odds band at each stage, rated when the bill reached it [4]
Related bills · 0
The bill status record lists no related bills.
Exhibit 2Articles naming the bill per day, last 90 days, US sources [3]