HR 59
119th Congress
House
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025
Everywhere this bill has been
4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 10, 2025
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Jun 10, 2025
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 15 - 13.
Jan 3, 2025
Introduced in House
Jan 3, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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Plain-English summary
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.
What's happening now
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 15 - 13.
Bill text
1 version
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Committees of jurisdiction
1
Cosponsors
2
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 59: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-59/
"H.R. 59: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-59/.
H.R. 59, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-59/.
[H.R. 59: Mens Rea Reform Act of 2025](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-59/)