Pass Federal Hate Crimes Law Now! Senate vote is coming soon!
The Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) urges you to call upon your Senators to support the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act by supporting the Leahy/Collins/Kennedy/Snowe/ hate crime amendment to S. 1391, the FY 2010 Department of Defense Authorization Bill.
This legislation brings much needed uniformity to federal hate crime laws and reflects the growing support for stronger hate crime legislation on the state level. State and federal governments should not tolerate any form of bias-motivated violence. The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act was introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) in the Senate. On April 29, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1913 by a vote of 249-175. Now it’s time for the Senate to pass this bill.
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act strengthens the ability of the federal, state and local governments to investigate and prosecute hate crimes based on race, ethnic background, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability. The bill helps state and local anti-bias efforts by enabling the Justice Department to assist them in the investigation and prosecution of all hate crimes, not just those that prevent the victim from exercising a federally protected right.
Every year, Asian Americans find themselves the victim of a hate crime. Over the years, AAJC has documented hundreds upon hundreds of bias-motivated crimes. It is important to our communities that the federal government be able to address cases that state and local authorities either cannot or will not investigate or prosecute properly. All hate crimes need to be taken seriously because they have a crippling effect on not only the victim, but on whole communities.
Fill out the letter below to tell your Senator to support the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act . The more support the bill has, the better the chance of passing this landmark legislation and putting an end to hate crimes in America.
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