---
type: "Bill"
title: "Crimes - Hate Crimes - Use of an Item or a Symbol to Threaten or Intimidate"
description: "Crimes - Hate Crimes - Use of an Item or a Symbol to Threaten or Intimidate"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 161"
citation: "Maryland SB 161 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Augustine", "Beidle", "Benson", "Carter", "Elfreth", "Ellis", "Feldman", "Griffith", "Hayes", "Kagan", "Lam", "Lee", "McCray", "Patterson", "Reilly", "Rosapepe", "Sydnor", "Waldstreicher", "Washington", "West", "Zucker"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2020-01-13"
last_action: "2020-05-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a81a3a66-36dc-4c50-b919-4a6175ab9b13"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0161?ys=2020RS&search=True"
source_hash: "ffb857323fe507bc91b599e2620691a82233f3cce57d1c7a4297429ff88ad97f"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-md"]
---

# Maryland SB 161 (2020) — Crimes - Hate Crimes - Use of an Item or a Symbol to Threaten or Intimidate

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Chapter - Crimes - Hate Crimes - Use of an Item or a Symbol to Threaten or Intimidate** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/Chapters_noln/CH_22_sb0161t.pdf)
2. **First - Crimes - Hate Crimes - Use of an Item or a Symbol to Threaten or Intimidate** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/bills/sb/sb0161f.pdf)
3. **Third - Crimes - Hate Crimes - Use of an Item or a Symbol to Threaten or Intimidate** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2020RS/bills/sb/sb0161t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **128–4** (pass) · lower
- On Third Reading — **45–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Augustine — primary (person)
- Beidle — primary (person)
- Benson — primary (person)
- Carter — primary (person)
- Elfreth — primary (person)
- Ellis — primary (person)
- Feldman — primary (person)
- Griffith — primary (person)
- Hayes — primary (person)
- Kagan — primary (person)
- Lam — primary (person)
- Lee — primary (person)
- McCray — primary (person)
- Patterson — primary (person)
- Reilly — primary (person)
- Rosapepe — primary (person)
- Sydnor — primary (person)
- Waldstreicher — primary (person)
- Washington — primary (person)
- West — primary (person)
- Zucker — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-13** First Reading Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-14** Hearing 1/29 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2020-02-10** Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-02-11** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-02-11** Second Reading Passed
- **2020-02-13** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2020-02-14** Referred Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-12** Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2020-03-14** Hearing canceled
- **2020-03-14** Favorable Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-14** Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-03-16** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2020-03-18** Returned Passed
- **2020-05-08** Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 22 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/a81a3a66-36dc-4c50-b919-4a6175ab9b13`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).