AR HB1020

Creates a 20% sentence enhancement for offenses where the defendant purposely selected the victim based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, homelessness, gender identity, sexual orientation, sex, disability, or military service.

Enhancement applies to imprisonment term, fines, and probation/suspended sentences, but does not exceed 20% total regardless of multiple victim attributes; excludes sex-based enhancements for sexual assault and related offenses.

Requires the state to allege the factual predicate for sentence enhancement in the charging document, with guilt determined beyond a reasonable doubt by the finder of fact.

Makes frivolous prosecutions seeking false hate crime enhancements a Class C felony, and filing false reports alleging hate crimes a Class D felony.

Establishes a central repository under the Attorney General to collect quarterly hate crime data from law enforcement agencies and requires an annual public report delivered to state and federal officials by December 1 each year.