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.
“HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H219 on Feb. 7, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, this bill also honors the memory of James Byrd, who was horribly dragged to his death behind a pickup truck simply because his killers did not like the color of his skin. It honors Matthew Shepherd, who was beaten and tied to a fence post and left to die in near freezing weather because he was gay. It honors not only the victims of high-profile crimes, it honors the thousands of people whose lives have been scarred by similar acts of hate and violence.
Hate crimes legislation is not a partisan issue. It is not about political posturing. It is not about us versus them. This is an issue that transcends politics.
I urge the House leadership to allow a vote on this important measure, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1343.
Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).
Ms. WATSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I am so pleased to see that this issue is coming up to the forefront here nationally.
In California we worked long and hard and had a task force that looked at hate crimes up and down the State. We compiled valuable information that assists law enforcement in identifying hate crimes and enforcing the law.
The events of September 11 have continued to demonstrate the destructive power of hate to tear apart the unity of an entire Nation. In the wake of the terrorist attacks, the Arab American Anti-
Discrimination Committee has investigated, documented and referred to Federal authorities over 500 instances. Moreover, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has compiled over 1,400 complaints of hate attacks directed against American Muslims. This is a 51 percent increase in reported crimes.
These instances include the murders of a Muslim Pakistani store owner in Dallas, Texas, and an Indian American gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, where a suspect was arrested shouting, ``I stand for America all the way.''
The Department of Justice, however, has opened only approximately 250 investigations of hate crimes directed against institutions or people who appeared to be Arab or Middle Easterners. September 11 and the Arab American situation only represents the tip of a proverbial iceberg.
Hate crimes against any group regardless of race, color or creed should not be tolerated in our great American democratic society. As the James Byrd and the Matthew Shepherd tragedies demonstrate, not only can the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes strain the resources of State and local law enforcement agencies, but social unrest is even more of a drain on the fabric of our society.
Current law limits Federal jurisdiction over hate crimes to federally protected activities such as voting and does not permit Federal involvement in a range of cases involving crimes motivated by bias against the victim's sexual orientation, gender or disabilities. This loophole is particularly significant given the fact that five States have no hate crime laws on the books, and another 21 States have extremely weak hate crimes laws.
H.R. 1343 will remove these hurdles so the Federal Government will no longer be handicapped in its efforts to assist in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.
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