SESSION WATCH
Died SENATE · SESSION 2026

No. SB 1388

Offenses Evidencing Prejudice
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SPONSOR
Smith
FILED BY
Carlos Guillermo Smith — District 17, Democrat [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
10/1/2026
DIED IN
Criminal Justice

Filed under Criminal Justice.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Offenses Evidencing Prejudice; Expanding grounds for the reclassification of offenses to include acts based on the gender or gender identity of any person; requiring that the reclassification occur if the offense was based in whole or in part on specified characteristics of any person; replacing the term “mental or physical disability” with the term “disability” and revising the definition; requiring that the reclassification of a certain offense occur if the offense was based in whole or in part on a disability of any person, etc.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Expands hate crime penalties to cover gender and disability bias.

The bill adds gender and gender identity to the list of protected characteristics that trigger enhanced penalties for bias-motivated crimes. This change applies to all felonies and misdemeanors, not just specific offenses.

It replaces the narrow definition of disability with a broader standard, aligning it with federal civil rights law. This means more people will qualify for enhanced sentencing if a crime is motivated by their disability.

The law now requires reclassification if the offense was based in whole or in part on a protected characteristic. Previously, the bias had to be the primary motivation for the crime to trigger the penalty increase.

It expands the scope of the Hate Crimes Reporting Act to include gender and disability data. Law enforcement agencies must now collect and report monthly statistics on these specific types of bias-motivated incidents.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Mandatory Reclassification majors. 775.085(1)(a)

AIChanges the trigger for enhanced penalties from prejudice based entirely on a protected characteristic to prejudice based in whole or in part on it.

“evidences prejudice based in whole or in part on the gender, race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status, advanced age, or” bill text, line 35 →
§ 2 Broadened Victim Definition majors. 775.085(1)(a)

AIReplaces the term "victim" with "any person" in the prejudice offense statutes, allowing the enhanced penalty to apply when the targeted individual is not the direct victim of the underlying crime.

“evidences prejudice based in whole or in part on the gender, race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status, advanced age, or” bill text, line 35 →
§ 3 Revised Disability Definition majors. 775.0863(1)(b)

AIReplaces the narrow definition of mental or physical disability with a broader definition based on substantial limitation of major life activities.

“a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities” bill text, line 98 →
§ 4 Expanded Hate Crime Reporting moderates. 877.19(2)

AIRequires the Department of Law Enforcement to collect and disseminate data on prejudice-based crimes involving gender, gender identity, and disability.

“collect and disseminate data on incidents of criminal acts that evidence prejudice based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, color, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity,” bill text, line 166 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in Criminal Justice
1/22/2026
Introduced
1/16/2026
Referred to Criminal Justice; Appropriations Committee on Criminal...
1/7/2026
Filed
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 775.085
+57 / −9
s. 775.0863
+29 / −53
s. 817.034
+0 / −3
s. 877.19
+5 / −3