House passes hate crimes bill, just one hurdle left
Could it really be that Congress is on the verge of passing a new hate crimes law Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League have been pushing for years? Today’s House passage of the Defense Authorization Conference Report means there’s just one more hurdle: a Senate vote, which could come as early as next week.
Earlier, House members rejected efforts to yank the hate crimes statute – now the “Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act” - from the bill, setting the stage for today’s vote on the overall package.
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The measure would extend coverage of existing hate crimes laws to include crimes based on gender, disability and sexual orientation, and make it easier for the Justice Department to aid state and local authorities in dealing with hate crimes.
It’s the sex thing that has Christian rights groups in a stew, with many claiming that, if passed, it would make it a crime for pastors to speak out against homosexuality.
Nonsense, say the ADL and other supporters; the only thing covered under the law is violent, hate-based crime, not words or thoughts. Still, opposition has been ferocious, leading to the strategy of attaching the legislation to a vital defense bill.
That strategy wasn’t without risk; there were numerous other provisions that generated controversy and threatened passage, including provisions dealing with the acquisition of jet airplanes and the use of military commissions in dealing with foreign detainees in the war on terrorism.
The ADL, which has been plugging away at the bill since the beginning, called today’s vote a “monumental victory in the decades-long effort to combat hate crimes. This legislation is the most important, comprehensive and inclusive federal hate crime law enacted in the past 40 years, and we look forward to Senate approval.” (Read the entire ADL press release here).
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) also hailed passage of the bill.
“It is remarkable that, at this late date, hate crimes legislation should remain a controversial idea,” Nadler said in a statement. “The idea that someone could be singled out for a crime of violence due to his or her actual or perceived race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability is simply repugnant.”
But backers are holding their breath; the measure has passed the House or Senate five times in the past, only to be stripped from final legislation.
Tags: ADL, hate crimes, House pf Representatives
October 8th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I hope this doesn’t pass. While on first glance this might be “good for the Jews” It isn’t. It penalizes thought, not conduct. In a free society people shouldn’t be penalized for their opinions, (who can interpret opinions anyway?) Actions are already punished. If the punishment isn’t strong enough, pass longer punishment. But I don’t want anyone to go to jail because they hit a Jew harder than they hit a non-Jew. Wouldn’t that confirm, at least for people predisposed, that we get preferential treatment? Blood is blood. Punish for conduct, not thought.