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
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Jan 3, 2025
Introduced in House
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.
Committees of jurisdiction
1