Fingers Crossed

HR 1913 Passes the House

HR 1913 (The Matthew Shepard Act) was passed today by an impressive margin sending a strong statement about equality and inclusiveness for all communities.  This bill will allow prosecution of violent crimes based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability.  It is the first fully inclusive bill to be introduced during this Session. The fate of the bill now rests in the hands of the Senate.  Powerful speeches flooded the floor of the house today.  Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) spoke of the importance of“tolerance, equality and justice.”  Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Florida) declared “people need not live in fear because of who they are.” “Hate crimes are an assault on people’s dignity and humanity” stated Rep. Joseph Cao (R-Louisiana). These statements echoed the support for this legislation that is shared by nearly 300 civil rights, education, religious, religious organizations and thirty one state Attorneys General.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1913, when passed will:

• Extend existing federal protections to include "gender identity, sexual orientation, gender and disability"
• Allow the Justice Department to assist in hate crime investigations at the local level when local law enforcement is unable or unwilling to fully address these crimes
• Mandate that the FBI begin tracking hate crimes based on actual or perceived gender identity
• Remove limitations that narrowly define hate crimes to violence committed while a person is accessing a federally protected activity, such as voting.