Matthew Shepard
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act was passed Thursday by the US Senate, Associated Press reports. The measure passed on a voice vote.
It had cleared a significant hurdle moments earlier when senators voted 63-28 for cloture, thereby blocking a threatened filibuster against the legislation. Cloture, which requires at least 60 votes, is a senate procedural tool that allows for a measure to be debated, and eventually brought to a vote on the floor.
To increase the measure’s chances of passage, Democrats attached the act as an amendment to the annual defense authorization bill which is a must-pass measure, New York Times reports. Thursday's vote means that the hate-crimes legislation will be part of the defense bill when it passes, which is expected sometime next week, according to AP.
Although Republicans were not be able to filibuster the hate crimes bill, they could still propose several amendments to it on Monday, according to AP.
Although the hate crimes bill is strongly supported by President Barack Obama and by Attorney General Eric Holder, it could, nonetheless, face another hurdle when it reaches the president’s desk, AP reports. Obama has threatened to veto the entire defense bill if it includes funding for the expensive F-22 fighter program that the president and Pentagon are trying to terminate.
F-22 funding is included in the current version of the bill.
Senate passes Matthew Shepard hate crimes bill [contd.]
The legislation, which was first introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1997, was also approved by the senate last year, also as part of the military authorization bill, but it was never reconciled with a similar house-passed bill.
The bill is named for Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was tied to a fence, beaten and left to die in 1998.
It makes it easier for federal authorities to investigate and prosecute hate crimes in the long-protected categories – crimes committed because of racial, ethnic, or religious bias. It also triggers possible federal involvement for crimes committed against people because of their sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.
The measure’s prime sponsor, Sen. Patrick J Leahy (D-VT), explained last week that the measure expands the effectiveness of federal hate-crimes protections .“Victims will no longer have to engage in a narrow range of activities, such as serving as a juror, to be protected under Federal law….,” Leahy said. “In addition, the hate crimes amendment will provide assistance and resources to state, local, and tribal law enforcement to address hate crimes.”
The bill provides $5 million in grants to state and local law enforcement officials who have trouble meeting the costs of investigating and prosecuting hate crimes and allows federal prosecutions of the crimes when state or local authorities are unwilling or unable to prosecute them, according to Associated Press.
“With the support of an overwhelming majority of the American people, including more than 300 law enforcement, civil rights, civic, and religious organizations, it is past time we take this important step toward combating hate in our country,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Joe Solmonese in a statement.
Source: Senate Democrats Attach Hate Crimes Law to Defense Bill - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com