Rabb: Hate crime laws are not enough to prevent violence
Lawmaker urges further reforms to address root causes of hate-based crimes
Rep. Christopher M. Rabb March 11, 2026 | 10:19 AM
HARRISBURG, March 11 – State Rep. Chris Rabb voted to advance two anti-hate crime bills Tuesday in the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee, while reiterating his longstanding concerns that criminal penalties alone fail to address the underlying causes of and prevent hate-based violence.
“My votes on these bills reflect both my unequivocal opposition to hate crimes and my commitment to addressing the root causes of structural violence,” Rabb said. “Hate crimes are a painful and persistent reality in Pennsylvania, and we have a duty to respond to these heinous acts. Simultaneously, we must acknowledge the reality that simply increasing penalties after harm occurs is not effective at preventing attacks.”
During previous consideration of similar legislation, Rabb raised concerns about the effectiveness and unintended consequences of hate crime statutes, worked to amend the bills, and asked broader questions about how Pennsylvania addresses hate and violence.
“For those of us who support the intent of hate crime legislation, we should assess its limitations honestly. If we want to reduce hate-based violence, we must address the structural conditions that fuel it.”
House Bill 1902 would provide training to law enforcement to improve the identification, investigation and prevention of hate-based intimidation crimes, while House Bill 1905 would update Pennsylvania’s ethnic intimidation law and strengthen penalties for bias-motivated offenses targeting individuals based on protected characteristics.
Rabb voted to approve both bills and said he will continue working with lawmakers, advocates and impacted communities to ensure Pennsylvania’s approach to addressing hate-based violence includes both accountability and meaningful prevention.