Home
Politics
It now goes to President Barack Obama, who has vowed to sign the measure into law. His predecessor, George W. Bush, had opposed the measure.
"The action by Congress today to pass this vital legislation is a milestone in helping protect Americans from the most heinous bias-motivated violence," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
As a result of the new measure, US law will forbid "hate crimes" based on a person's race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or mental or physical disability.
The late senator Edward Kennedy had long championed expanding the definition.
The measure provides funding from Washington to state, local and tribal law-enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
And it expands the ability of federal authorities to get involved if the US Justice Department formally finds that local officials are unable or unwilling to act on a hate crime.
The legislation also punishes attacks on US military service members based on their military service.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act, is named after two men killed in separate US bias attacks -- Shepard because he was gay, and Byrd because he was African-American.
Shepard, 21, died in October 1988 after suffering a beating by two men because he was gay, while Byrd, 49, was killed in June 1998 by three men in Texas who dragged him behind their truck.
"Hate crimes continue to affect far too many Americans who are simply trying to live their lives honestly, and they need to know that their government will protect them from violence, and provide appropriate justice for victims and their families," said Judy Shepard, president of the foundation named for her slain son.
Holder said that some 80,000 hate crimes incidents have been reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation since he first testified before Congress in favor of such legislation 11 years ago.
"Perpetrators of hate crimes seek to deny the humanity that we all share, regardless of the color of our skin, the God to whom we pray, or whom we love," he said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------00
"The action by Congress today to pass this vital legislation is a milestone in helping protect Americans from the most heinous bias-motivated violence," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
As a result of the new measure, US law will forbid "hate crimes" based on a person's race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or mental or physical disability.
The late senator Edward Kennedy had long championed expanding the definition.
The measure provides funding from Washington to state, local and tribal law-enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
And it expands the ability of federal authorities to get involved if the US Justice Department formally finds that local officials are unable or unwilling to act on a hate crime.
The legislation also punishes attacks on US military service members based on their military service.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act, is named after two men killed in separate US bias attacks -- Shepard because he was gay, and Byrd because he was African-American.
Shepard, 21, died in October 1988 after suffering a beating by two men because he was gay, while Byrd, 49, was killed in June 1998 by three men in Texas who dragged him behind their truck.
"Hate crimes continue to affect far too many Americans who are simply trying to live their lives honestly, and they need to know that their government will protect them from violence, and provide appropriate justice for victims and their families," said Judy Shepard, president of the foundation named for her slain son.
Holder said that some 80,000 hate crimes incidents have been reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation since he first testified before Congress in favor of such legislation 11 years ago.
"Perpetrators of hate crimes seek to deny the humanity that we all share, regardless of the color of our skin, the God to whom we pray, or whom we love," he said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------00
