LAW: HATE CRIME
§ § 1304 Hate crimes; class A misdemeanor, class G felony, class F felony, class E felony, class D felony, class C felony, class B felony, class A felony.
(a) Any person who commits, or attempts to commit, any crime as defined by the laws of this State,
and who intentionally:
(1) Commits said crime for the purpose of interfering with the victim's free exercise or enjoyment
of any right, privilege or immunity protected by the First Amendment to the United States
Constitution, or commits said crime because the victim has exercised or enjoyed said rights; or
(2) Selects the victim because of the victim's race, religion, color, disability, sexual orientation,
national origin or ancestry, shall be guilty of a hate crime. For purposes of this section, the term
"sexual orientation" means heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality.
(b) Hate crimes shall be punished as follows:
(1) If the underlying offense is a violation or unclassified misdemeanor, the hate crime shall be a
class A misdemeanor;
(2) If the underlying offense is a class A, B, or C misdemeanor, the hate crime shall be a class G felony;
(3) If the underlying offense is a class C, D, E, F, or G felony, the hate crime shall be one grade
higher than the underlying offense;
(4) If the underlying offense is a class A or B felony, the hate crime shall be the same grade as the
underlying offense, and the minimum sentence of imprisonment required for the underlying offense
shall be doubled.