Skip to main content
S. 1902 115th Congress Senate

Mens Rea Reform Act of 2017

Official title: A bill to specify the state of mind required for conviction for criminal offenses that lack an expressly identified state of mind, and for other purposes.

Introduced: October 2, 2017 See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogationEvidence and witnesses
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 2, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Oct 2, 2017
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action October 2, 2017

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Mens Rea Reform Act of 2017

This bill establishes a default mens rea (i.e., guilty mind) requirement for federal criminal statutory and regulatory offenses that lack a state of mind requirement.

The government must generally prove that a defendant acted willfully with respect to each element of the offense that lacks a specific state of mind requirement.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 3118 Mens Rea Reform Act of 2018
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Republican 3
R
Cruz, Ted
Texas · Oct 2, 2017
 R
Lee, Mike
Utah · Oct 2, 2017
 R
Paul, Rand
Kentucky · Oct 2, 2017
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1902: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2017. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1902/
MLA
"S. 1902: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2017." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1902/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1902, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1902/.
Markdown link
[S. 1902: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2017](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1902/)
Report a problem