Mens Rea Reform Act of 2021 2021-03-11 Introduced in Senate Mens Rea Reform Act of 2021

This bill establishes a default mens rea standard (i.e., state of mind requirement) for federal criminal offenses—statutory and regulatory—that lack an explicit standard.

The government must generally prove that a defendant acted willfully with respect to each element of an offense for which the text does not specify a state of mind.

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