The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act was reintroduced Thursday in the U.S. Senate. Sponsored by Democratic senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Republican senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, the bill was renamed the Matthew Shepard Bill in tribute to the hate-crime victim and his mother, Judy Shepard, who joined the senators in reintroducing the measure. The bill would strengthen the ability of law enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute the more than 9,000 bias-motivated violent crimes reported each year. An identical bill was introduced last month in the U.S. House of Representatives by Democratic representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan and Republican representative Mark Kirk of Illinois. This is the fifth consecutive session of Congress to consider a hate-crimes bill.
"This is one of the most important pieces of federal legislation to help erase hate in our society today," Judy Shepard was quoted as saying in a Human Rights Campaign press release. "I urge every American to contact your leaders, including the president, and encourage them to support this bill. Whether it be for Matthew or for the thousands of other victims of hate crimes, I am personally asking for your help to ensure this important piece of legislation passes."
The bill adds crimes motivated by the victim's sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability to existing federal law conferring authority on the federal government to investigate and prosecute violent crimes. This authority already exists for crimes committed because of the victim's race, color, religion, or national origin.
"According to the FBI, over 9,000 people a year, or 24 people every day, are victimized by hate crimes," the HRC release quoted Kennedy as saying. "The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that the number may be four times that many since so many hate crimes routinely go unreported. These crimes are acts of domestic terrorism that have an impact far greater than on the individual victim. Hate crimes target whole communities."
"A principal responsibility of government is to protect and defend its citizens and to come to the aid of the mistreated," Smith was quoted as saying in the release. "As a nation founded on the ideals of tolerance and justice, we simply cannot accept violence that is motivated by bias and hate. Current law is limited. Our proposal would change that, and change it permanently."
Similar bills have passed both the House and Senate in recent years but have failed to be signed into law. (The Advocate)
