STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK J. LEAHY ON REMOVAL OF"HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT" FROM COMMERCE-JUSTICE-STATE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

October 18, 1999

One of the most significant amendments that the Senate adopted last month as part of the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill is the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This legislation amends the federal hate crimes statute to make it easier for federal law enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute cases of racial and religious violence. It also focuses the attention and resources of the federal government on the problem of hate crimes committed against people because of their sexual orientation, gender, or disability.

I commend Senator Kennedy for his leadership on this bill, and I am proud to have been an original cosponsor.

It is time to pass this important legislation. It has been over a year since the fatal beating of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, and the dragging death of James Byrd in Jaspar, Texas -- brutal attacks that stunned the nation.

Since those incidents, we have seen other acts of violence motivated by hate and bigotry, including the horrific incident two months ago in Los Angeles, when a gunman burst into a Jewish community center and opened fire on a room full of young children. When the gunman surrendered, he said that his rampage had been motivated by his hatred of Jews. The month before, a murderous string of drive-by shootings in Illinois and Indiana left two people dead and nine wounded. Again, the motivation was racial and religious hate.

These are sensational crimes, the ones that focus public attention. But there also is a toll we are paying each year in other hate crimes that find less notoriety, but with no less suffering for the victims and their families.

All Americans have the right to live, travel and gather where they choose. In the past we have responded as a nation to deter and to punish violent denials of civil rights. We have enacted federal laws to protect the civil rights of all of our citizens for more than 100 years. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act continues that great and honorable tradition.

When the Senate passed the Commerce-State-Justice appropriations bill last month, there seemed to be general agreement about the need to strengthen our national hate crimes laws. Both the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and a more limited hate crimes bill sponsored by Senator Hatch were included in the managers' amendment by unanimous consent. These bills complement and do not conflict with each other, and Senator Kennedy and I have been working hard to address Senator Hatch's concerns about our legislation. I had hoped that a consensus provision would be worked out in time for us to report as part of this appropriations bill, and I am disappointed that we have been unable to meet this deadline.

Five months ago, Matthew Shepard's mother testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and called upon Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act without delay. Let me echo her eloquent words: "Today, we have it within our power to send a very different message than the one received by the people who killed my son. It is time to stop living in denial and to address a real problem that is destroying families like mine, James Byrd Jr.'s, Billy Jack Gaither's and many others across America. ... We need to decide what kind of nation we want to be. One that treats all people with dignity and respect, or one that allows some people and their family members to be marginalized."

There are still a few weeks left in this session; we should pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act this year.