The US Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday to make lynching a federal hate crime.

The “Justice for the Victims of Lynching” bill is a bipartisan effort sponsored by three senators: Democrats Kamala Harris and Cory Booker and Republican Tim Scott. The bill defines lynching as “2 or more persons willfully caus[ing] bodily injury to any other person, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin […] sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person.” If death results from lynching, the bill provides that those involved could be sentenced to life in prison, on top of any charges that may be brought for murder.

In its findings, the bill stated that “at least 4,742 people, predominantly African Americans, were reported lynched in the United States between 1882 and 1968” and that “[n]inety-nine percent of all perpetrators of lynching escaped from punishment by State or local officials.” The bill further noted that the legislature considered but failed to pass nearly 200 anti-lynching bills throughout the 20th century. Senator Harris stated that by passing the bill, she hoped the Senate had offered “some long overdue justice and recognition to the victims of lynching crimes.”

The Senate bill has a companion bill in the House, which remains in committee.