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| Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas was among the House Judiciary Committee members who sought to bog down discussion Wednesday of hate crimes legislation. (AP photo by Andrew D. Brosing/The Daily Sentinel) | |
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By JOSHUA LYNSEN, Washington Blade
Apr 22 2009, 4:36 PM |
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UPDATED: Apr 24, 1:45 PM
Hate crimes legislation cleared a hurdle Thursday, winning approval from the House Judiciary Committee.
Committee members backed the bill, 15-12, following a second day of debate. The measure will next go to the House floor for a vote, something that Capitol Hill observers have said could occur as soon as next week.
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, praised the committee vote.
"Laws ultimately reflect a nation's values, and this legislation, once passed, will send a strong message that America rejects all forms of hate violence, including bias-motivated crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," she said. "This committee vote marks the beginning of the end of a long-fought battle."
Joe Solmonese, the Human Rights Campaign president, urged Congress to quickly pass the measure and send it to President Obama for his signature.
"After 10 years, and tens of thousands more victims, this critical legislation combating hate violence is long overdue," Solmonese said. "On behalf of the overwhelming majority of the American people, and more than 300 law enforcement, religious and civil rights organizations, we urge Congress not to delay in sending this bill to the President's desk where he has stated he will sign it into law."
But passage did not come easily in committee. There was protracted discussion Wednesday and Thursday of several amendments to the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The measure is intended, among other things, to allow the Justice Department to assist in the prosecution of hate crimes committed against LGBT people that result in death or serious injury.
Amendments offered by the committee's Republican members, though, sought to include unborn children, military members and pregnant women in the measure. Another proposed amendment sought to strip passages regarding "gender identity" from the bill. The amendments were voted down.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), an original cosponsor of the bill, said he was pleased the committee backed a measure that would give law enforcement agencies more tools to fight hate crimes.
"The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act is an essential step toward giving teeth to our local and national hate crime laws," Nadler said. "That Americans would be singled out and victimized because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion is despicable. That our government currently lacks the ability to fully investigate such heinous crimes and prosecute the perpetrators is shameful."
Sexual orientation-inclusive hate crimes bills have languished in Congress since they were first introduced in 1997. The drive to pass legislation picked up steam after Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was murdered in 1998 near Laramie, Wyo.
In memory of Shepard, versions of federal hate crimes legislation have been sometimes known as the Matthew Shepard Act.
Passage of such legislation nearly occurred in 2007, when the House voted to approve legislation and the Senate voted to pass the measure as an amendment to the defense authorization bill. But the House refused to include it in the defense bill because it provided for Iraq war support. Anti-war lawmakers convinced the Senate to drop the hate crimes provision from the legislation.
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