[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   THE U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS' REPORT ON WHITE SUPREMACIST 
                          ACTIVITY IN MONTANA

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, the Montana Advisory Committee to 
the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has released a report documenting 
hate activity in that State. This troubling report highlights in 
chilling detail that the problem of hate crimes in our Nation is still 
very much alive. White supremacists, primarily in western Montana, are 
spreading prejudice and hate ranging from racism, anti-Semitism and 
homophobia to anti-Indian rhetoric. The rise in hate crime activity in 
Montana reflects an overall national rise in recent years.
  This report serves as a reminder that we have a long way to go toward 
reducing the incidence of hate crimes. The Hate Crimes Statistics Act, 
which I authored in 1990, has been an important first step in this 
process. The reporting system established by this law sends a message 
to both the victims and the perpetrators of hate crimes that law 
enforcement officials are committed to solving the problem of hate 
crimes.
  Unfortunately, since States are not required to provide statistics on 
hate crimes to the FBI, many States have not yet complied with this 
important effort. Montana has made progress since May 1992, when no 
Montana law enforcement agency had reported a single crime under the 
1990 Hate Crimes Statistics Act. The recently released 1993 preliminary 
report on hate crimes statistics from the FBI shows that of 18 
participating agencies from Montana, 4 submitted incident reports to 
the FBI. I hope Montana continues this progress.
  The Montana Advisory Committee report describes the extensive human-
rights network in Montana which has contributed greatly to public 
awareness of the hate crimes problem in that State. The good people of 
Montana are speaking out and taking action against these hate groups, 
and they also serve as an example to the Nation. I hope that this 
network will also help to improve Montana law enforcement's 
participation in the national data-gathering effort.
  Finally, the report prescribes policy changes in Montana that would 
help the State address its hate crimes problems. I hope that Montana 
lawmakers and law enforcement officials take these suggestions 
seriously, and that similar reports about other States are taken 
seriously by lawmakers in all States.
  The foundation laid by the 1990 Hate Crime Statistics Act is an 
important step in solving the problem of hate crimes. But clearly this 
problem is not going away. We need to look for ways to assist States 
and cities interested in training their law enforcement officials to 
report hate crimes, and for ways to encourage all States to 
participate.

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