Skip to main content
S 3118 115th Congress Senate Crime and Law Enforcement

Mens Rea Reform Act of 2018

Introduced: June 21, 2018 See on congress.gov
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
Jun 21, 2018
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Jun 21, 2018
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.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Mens Rea Reform Act of 2018

This bill establishes the National Criminal Justice Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system; make recommendations for criminal justice reform; and disseminate findings and guidance to the federal government and to state, local, and tribal governments.

Additionally, the bill amends the federal criminal code to establish a default mens rea (i.e., guilty mind) requirement for federal criminal statutory and regulatory offenses that lack a state of mind requirement.

For a new criminal statutory or regulatory offense, the government must prove that a defendant acted willfully with respect to each element of the offense that lacks a specific state of mind requirement.

For an existing criminal statutory or regulatory offense, the bill establishes requirements for the Department of Justice, executive agencies, and the National Criminal Justice Commission with respect to determining the applicable state of mind requirement.

What's happening now June 21, 2018

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Related & companion bills 4
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 3118: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2018. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-3118/
MLA
"S. 3118: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2018." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-3118/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 3118, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-3118/.
Markdown link
[S. 3118: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2018](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-3118/)
Report a problem