Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act Of 2007

Floor Speech

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - May 03, 2007)

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. I would like to thank the chief sponsor of this legislation, Congressman CONYERS, for his work and dedication in bringing this bipartisan bill to the floor for debate.

H.R. 1592 will strengthen existing Federal hate crimes laws in two meaningful ways. First, the bill removes the requirement that victims of violent bias-motivated crimes be engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting, when the crime is committed. Federal entities would then be able to provide technical and grant support for the hate crimes investigations of State and local law enforcement agencies. Second, the bill provides for a more comprehensive definition of hate crimes to include those motivated by gender, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

In 2005, the FBI documented 7,163 hate crimes directed against institutions and individuals because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability. These statistics were gathered from 12,417 law enforcement agencies across the country. Yet it is not the frequency or number of crimes alone that distinguish these acts of violence from other crimes.

We know that hate crimes are more than individual assaults--they send shock waves and fear throughout a whole community and segments of our diverse population. Hate violence is also a message crime and the messages are clear: ``know your place'' and ``your kind is not welcome here.'' Hate crimes clearly pose a serious threat to our Nation's security and the very values upon which our country were founded.

As an original cosponsor of H.R. 1592, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of final passage.

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