Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes Act of 2026 in plain language
1: Short title
This section would let the Act be called the Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes Act of 2026.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes Act of 2026 .
2: Hate crime prevention grant
This section would require the Attorney General, on the date this Act is enacted and subject to the availability of appropriations, to establish a hate crime prevention grant program. Grants could be awarded only to community-based organizations and only for the purposes listed in this section. To apply, a community-based organization would submit an application to the Attorney General at whatever time, in whatever manner, and with whatever information the Attorney General requires. A grant could be used to further community-based strategies for conflict resolution and community empowerment and education; to develop and implement non-carceral sentencing and juvenile hate crime diversion programs; to establish and implement culturally informed and linguistically appropriate public education campaigns on collecting data and publicly reporting hate crimes; to implement and facilitate educational classes and community service for people convicted of hate crimes, tied directly to the community harmed by the offense; to employ safety ambassadors to escort vulnerable community members in public places; to provide culturally informed and linguistically accessible support, including mental health support, for victims or surviving families of hate crimes; to provide upstander, intervenor, and de-escalation training in multiple languages; and to carry out other community-based strategies considered appropriate for members of communities targeted by crimes based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability, and other vulnerable and historically disadvantaged communities. For purposes of this section, a community-based organization is a public or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated effectiveness that is embedded within, or led by and serves, a community targeted by hate crimes, and that provides educational, public health, and social services along with assistance to victims and related services in that community. The section would authorize $30,000,000 to be appropriated to carry out the grant program for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
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2. Hate crime prevention grant (a) In general On the date of enactment of this Act, subject to the availability of appropriations, the Attorney General shall establish a hate crime prevention grant program, under which community-based organizations shall be awarded grants only for the purposes described in subsection (c). (b) Application A community-based organization shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may require. (c) Use of funds A grant awarded under this section may be used— (1) to further community-based strategies for conflict resolution and community empowerment and education; (2) to develop and implement non-carceral sentencing and juvenile hate crime diversion programs; (3) to establish and implement culturally informed and linguistically appropriate public education campaigns on the collection of data and public reporting of hate crimes; (4) to implement and facilitate educational classes and community service for defendants convicted of hate crimes directly related to the community harmed by the offense; (5) to employ safety ambassadors to escort vulnerable community members in public places; (6) to provide culturally informed and linguistically accessible support for victims or surviving families of hate crimes, including mental health support; (7) to provide upstander, intervenor, and de-escalation trainings in multiple languages; and (8) to implement such other community-based strategies deemed appropriate for members of communities targeted by crimes on the basis of their race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability, and other vulnerable and historically disadvantaged communities. (d) Community-Based organization defined The term community-based organization means a public or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated effectiveness that— (1) is embedded within or led by and serves a community targeted by hate crimes; and (2) provides educational, public health, and social services as well as assistance to victims and related services in that community. (e) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $30,000,000 for each of fiscal year 2027 through 2031.
3: Removal of grant amount limit for support for certain criminal investigations and prosecutions
This section would amend section 4704(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (34 U.S.C. 30503(b)) by striking paragraph (5), which, as this section's title indicates, set a limit on grant amounts for support of certain criminal investigations and prosecutions; removing it means that limit would no longer apply. The paragraphs that had followed it, numbered (6) and (7), would be renumbered (5) and (6) so the list stays in order.
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3. Removal of grant amount limit for support for certain criminal investigations and prosecutions (a) Improving grant participation Section 4704(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 ( 34 U.S.C. 30503(b) ) is amended— (1) by striking paragraph (5); and (2) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively.