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Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act

Floor Speech

Date: March 11, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Criminal Justice

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Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, at a time when all families are struggling with the threat of COVID-19, various communities are also suffering from the rise in hate crimes. In the last year, nearly 3,000 firsthand accounts of physical, verbal, and online attacks against those of Asian descent were reported. Asian Americans are fighting not just the COVID- 19 pandemic, but an additional pandemic of hate and bigotry.

One third of Americans have witnessed someone blaming Asian Americans for the coronavirus. Eight out of ten AAPI youth report being bullied or verbally harassed due to their race. Elderly Asian Americans are being assaulted--tragically resulting in even death. Online hate speech and cyberbullying against Asians has increased by 900 percent during the pandemic. This is horrific--and it goes against the moral fabric of our nation. We must address these ongoing hate crimes and incidents with urgency.

That is why I reintroduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. My bill would designate a point person at the Department of Justice to expedite the review of hate crimes related to COVID-19, specifically crimes of violence motivated by the actual or perceived relationship to the spread of COVID-19. My bill also includes initiatives to establish online reporting of hate crimes or incidents in multiple languages and to expand public education campaigns to encourage and empower ethnic communities to feel comfortable and report these incidents.

My bill also directs the Attorney General to work with Health and Human Services, the COVID-19 Healthy Equity Task Force, and community- based organizations to issue best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Madam Speaker, during this time of heightened anxiety and fear surrounding COVID-19, we cannot lose sight of protecting the health and safety of every single person--no matter their race, ethnicity, age, or background. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act is a necessary step to confront the second pandemic of racism and discrimination in this country. I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort to keep all Americans safe.

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