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Blogged by JC on 09.14.05 @ 07:40 PM ET

Conyers Hate Crimes Prevention Act Passes House in Historic Vote


Cross-posted at AmericaBlog

This afternoon, we were able to secure House passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This historic event marks the first criminal law-based civil rights measure to pass in decades. I introduced this bipartisan bill in May, 2005 with my colleagues Barney Frank, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Tammy Baldwin and Christopher Shays. Our bill passed as an amendment to the Child Safety Act by a vote of 223-199.

30 Republicans crossed over to vote with us on this amendment. Ironically, many of the conservative Republicans that supported the base bill, the Child Safety Act, felt compelled to oppose that bill’s final passage because its amended version included in the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Bias crimes are disturbingly prevalent and pose a significant threat to the full participation of all Americans in our democratic society. For the year 2003, the most recently available data, the FBI compiled reports from law enforcement agencies across the country identifying 7,489 criminal incidents that were motivated by an offender’s irrational antagonism toward some personal attribute associated with the victim. Reporting by law enforcement is voluntary and it is widely believed that hate crimes are seriously under-reported.

Despite the pervasiveness of the problem, current law limits federal jurisdiction over hate crimes to incidents against protected classes that occur only during the exercise of federally protected activities, such as voting. Further, the statutes do not permit federal involvement in a range of cases where crimes are motivated by bias against the victim’s perceived sexual orientation, gender, disability or gender identity. This loophole is particularly significant given the fact that four states have no hate crime laws on the books, and another 21 states have extremely weak hate crimes laws.

This legislation will make it easier for federal authorities to prosecute bias crimes by loosening the unduly rigid jurisdictional requirements under federal law, in the same way that the Church Arson Prevention Act. In addition, the bill will provide DOJ assistance for prosecutions at the state and local level. Passage in the House is just the first step. We now must make sure that the Senate follows its past record of supporting this legislation and then move our focus to the President. As it is combined with the underlying Child Safety Act, I believe we have our best chance ever of passing this bill into law.

Replies: 13 Comments


Comment #1: Patriot said on 9/14/05 @ 7:42pm ET...

I just came to congratulate you, I saw it in the news. Wonderful!



Comment #2: Patriot said on 9/14/05 @ 7:44pm ET...

Mr. C, have you seen the order Bush signed on 8/27 giving aid to the wrong counties in Louisana? I'll go get the summary and will be back in a few minutes to post it here.



Comment #3: Patriot said on 9/14/05 @ 7:47pm ET...

2005/08/27 FEMA National Situation Update

State of Emergency Declared in Mississippi, Louisiana DueIn anticipation of a possible landfall, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco declared States of Emergency Friday. In Louisiana, New Orleans is of particular concern because much of that city lies below sea level.

According to Gov. Blanco, Lake Pontchartrain is a very large lake that sits next to the city of New Orleans and if the hurricane winds blow from a certain direction, there are dire predictions of what may happen in the city.

His order: The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.



Comment #4: Patriot said on 9/14/05 @ 8:03pm ET...



Click click my name to go to the full report.



Comment #5: alizaryn said on 9/14/05 @ 8:25pm ET...

Congratulations Congressman! Your explanation of this Act on the Floor today was WONDERFUL!



Comment #6: Patriot said on 9/14/05 @ 8:25pm ET...

Back on topic, I was really pleased when I read Rawstory's article about the bill's passage in the House. The article discusses your effort and your response to its passing.

This really is historic. I think some Republicans are starting to look at their party and are realizing they are on the losing side.

These are interesting times. Very interesting.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Landmark_hate_crimes_legislation_passe_0914.html



Comment #7: Sandra said on 9/14/05 @ 9:13pm ET...

CONGRATULATIONS CONGRESSMAN! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!

September 14, 2005

Today's Additional Actions:

Sign the "Let John Doe Speak" Petition

Every day, the Bush Administration operates with a stunning disregard for fundamental democratic principles -- nothing demonstrates this better than the FBI using a Patriot Act power to gag a citizen from participating in the Patriot Act debate.

You can make a difference in our fight today by signing our "Let John Doe Speak" petition.

The ACLU represents John Doe, a member of the American Library Association with first-hand knowledge about the FBI's use of National Security Letters to demand people's library records. Our client is eager to share information with the public and Congress today, while our leaders are still debating Patriot Act reform.

Last week a Connecticut court ordered the FBI to lift the gag preventing our client from discussing this critical and relevant information, but as of this hour, he stands in silence.

As the clock is ticking towards House and Senate votes on the Patriot Act, John Doe is being prevented from participation by our own government.

Click here to sign our petition telling Attorney General Gonzales to stop gagging librarians from participating in the Patriot Act debate. ACLU.org

Supporters of democracy had a crucial victory last week, when a federal court told the FBI to lift a gag order that limits the Patriot Act debate. If affirmed on appeal, the judge’s ruling would allow our client to speak about the dangerous provisions that allow FBI demands for library and Internet records.

This win in court could not be better timed for our work in Congress. And the momentum is on our side. As a joint “conference committee” prepares to meet on Patriot Act renewal, nearly 100 lawmakers have already joined “Dear Conferee” letters asking their colleagues to support the Senate reforms to the Patriot Act.

While not perfect, the Senate bill is a significant improvement over the proposals in the House version, which would do nothing to fix serious civil liberties threats in the Patriot Act and would actually make the law worse in many respects. You can help right now. Please click here to urge your own senator or representative to sign on to a “Dear Conferee” letter.

We still have a chance to make a difference. Last week, thousands of you organized or attended events to watch the premiere of “Beyond the Patriot Act,” the first episode of the ACLU Freedom Files, the new television series from the ACLU and Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films (the company behind Unconstitutional and Outfoxed).

From Florida to Alaska and California to Massachusetts, hundreds of concerned Americans turned out to watch this ground-breaking program. Even Mississippi, recovering from Katrina, carried on the fight to defend the Constitution.

From a screening in South Carolina, host Heather Parks writes, “Everyone at the meeting either felt violated, or the possibility of being violated. The Patriot Act effectively dilutes and destroys the ‘checks and balances’ written into the Constitution that protect some of the most basic of our freedoms--we are finding that people are really scared and enraged about that.”

At Arizona State University, nearly 40 people gathered for a campus screening. Host Zarinah Nadir says many attendees had never realized the full implications of the Patriot Act. "Many of them were law students--very well informed and very well read--but they were amazed and shocked."

We need you to take action now because whether Congress includes some needed reforms to the Patriot Act this year will be decided in the next few weeks.

Click here to urge your member of Congress to sign the “Dear Conferee” letters.

This and more @ ACLU.org



Comment #8: Nolip said on 9/14/05 @ 9:24pm ET...

A little pick me up...

1. Go to www.google.com
2. Type in the word "failure" and click the button called "I'm Feeling Lucky"

Let me know what comes up...



Comment #9: Sandra said on 9/14/05 @ 9:35pm ET...

Okay, Nolip --- did I do something wrong? When I Google 'failure' there's 15,400,000 hits and the number one website is this:

Biography of George W. Bush
whitehouse.gov/president

I missed the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button! But, it doesn't matter. ROTFLMAO!



Comment #10: Nolip said on 9/14/05 @ 10:24pm ET...

Sandra...you get the brass ring! See...I told you it would give you a lift. :)



Comment #11: Nolip said on 9/15/05 @ 10:41am ET...

Any manifestation of prejudice\hatred in this country speaks to a blight that's been upon this land ever since the first settlers arrived. It has to do with somebody thinking they're are better than someone else (prime example..the guy in the oval office). We're all just flesh and bone (and for those with some spiritual sense..a spirit too), some with a few more smarts than others but all here to exercise the gifts and talents that we've been given, not use them to denigrate or control others who appear different to a controlling minority. (We saw that played out as apartheid in South Africa). We're all different in some way so bias, prejudice and hate all find common ground in an unhealthy attempt to have control over someone else. Thank you Congressman for continuing to raise your voice so that we continue to be reminded that this blight has not left the cultural landscape and we too need to raise our voices and speak out against those despicable acts of hatred exercised daily in this country.



Comment #12: Nolip said on 9/15/05 @ 2:24pm ET...

If there is such a thing as an economics terrorist, George Bush is enemy number one…he’s emptying the treasury faster than he’s pumping oil out of Iraq.

Katrina recovery costs expected to exceed $200 billion, more than U.S. has spent on Iraq war.

Bush to Request More Aid Funding



Comment #13: ljm said on 9/15/05 @ 4:39pm ET...

Congratulations, Mr Conyers, you works so hard for us. We see so few wins. Happy to see you get one!


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