The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“WE MUST PASS HATES CRIMES BILL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H1075 on March 20, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WE MUST PASS HATES CRIMES BILL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. What better way to honor this day than to act upon legislation that will help law enforcement investigate and prevent crimes based on discrimination?
That is why I ask my colleagues to join me to encourage the Republican leadership to bring the gentleman from Michigan's (Mr. Conyers) bill, H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to the House floor.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), and others that will be here this evening for their commitment to this issue and their time to speak about it.
Hate crimes have been a persistent problem in the United States. The FBI recently released its hate crimes statistics of 2000. Sadly the report indicated that bias-motivated crimes continue to increase. During the year 2000, law enforcement reported 8,063 bias-motivated criminal incidents, indicating a 3.5 percent increase since 1999. In this report, crimes based on race ranked number one, while crimes based on religion and sexual orientation ranked second and third.
The most disturbing part of this report is what it does not show. The official numbers barely scratch the surface of the hate crime problem across the country. The true number of hate crimes actually committed last year could top 50,000 according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Yet hate crimes continue to go unreported because of victims' fear and lack of law enforcement resources.
Mr. Speaker, hate crimes continue to occur every day in our cities and small town. What is extremely disturbing is that some of these crimes are committed by children who have learned a pattern to hate. Such an incident occurred in my home State of California on March 11 in Huntington Beach, California. Three teenagers confronted a Filipino-
American in the rear parking lot of his place of employment.
The teens began shouting racial slurs and ``white power'' before beating him with metal pipes. After the attack, the victim was even more frightened when he received a call from a person identifying himself as a parent of one of the attackers. This parent proceeded to threaten the victim using racial slurs.
This pattern of violence, Mr. Speaker, cannot continue. Our children are learning to hate from their parents and from their peers. We must set an example in Congress by passing legislation that will help to prevent hate. That is why I am a proud co-sponsor of the gentleman from Michigan's (Mr. Conyers) bipartisan bill, H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. And Mr. Speaker, I am joined as a co-sponsor by 203 of my colleagues and a growing chorus that wants the Republican leadership to bring H.R. 1343 to the House floor. This bill would offer a real solution by strengthening existing Federal hate crimes laws. H.R. 1343 allows the United States Department of Justice to assist in local prosecutions as well as investigate and prosecute cases in which violence occurs because of the victim's sexual orientation, disability, or gender. It would also eliminate obstacles to Federal involvement in many cases of assaults or murder based on race or religion.
This legislation is too important to ignore, especially during a week the United Nations is reminding the world to end racial discrimination.
The Republican leadership must bring this bill before the House to show our Nation and the world that hate will not be tolerated in the United States. This Congress has a responsibility to fight against hate. And the Conyers bill will prove that commitment.
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