[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 138 (Wednesday, October 13, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H9963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN SUPPORT OF THE HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cooksey). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, we are faced with an historic opportunity 
once again this year to pass legislation to combat violent hate crimes 
that continue to plague our country.
  Last year, despite the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard simply 
because he was gay, we failed to incorporate the Hate Crimes Prevention 
Act into a bill to fund the Justice Department. We must not make the 
same mistake again this year.
  In the year that followed Matthew Shepard's death, thousands of hate 
crimes were committed and Congress failed to protect gays, lesbians, 
bisexuals, transgender individuals and others from these heinous 
crimes.
  Tragically, we are all far too familiar with the violent acts of 
terrorism that are sweeping our country. The August 10 shooting of a 
Filipino-American letter carrier, shooting to death, three young 
children who were shot and two adults at the Los Angeles Jewish 
community center is one of a series of brutal hate crimes that continue 
to plague victims, families, communities and the Nation. These violent 
acts come on the heels of the July 4 shooting spree in Illinois and 
Indiana, and the burning of three synagogues in northern California.
  Congress has been far too slow in responding to the hate crimes that 
continue to threaten our communities all across America. Week after 
week we hear horror stories of murderers attacking innocent people 
because they are, or are perceived, to be members of a certain 
community, because they are of a particular ethnic group, or thought to 
be of a particular ethnic group, or race or color or creed or sexual 
orientation. These hate crimes devastate families and local communities 
and they also send a chill down the backs of everyone else that belongs 
to the same group.
  Remember, hate crimes are especially odious because they victimize 
more than just the individual victim, they also are acts of terrorism 
directed against an entire class of citizens. When a hate crime is 
committed, it sends a message to every member of the targeted group 
that they risk their lives simply by being a member of a targeted 
group. No American should have to be afraid to live in any community 
because they are threatened with violence because of who they are.
  We should instruct the conferees to accede to one version of the 
Senate language, to agree to add gender and disability and sexual 
orientation to the Federal hate crimes law. There is a necessity to do 
this in order so that we can give help to States that have their own 
hate crimes laws but need Federal assistance in investigating crimes.
  The Senate has already passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an 
amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary appropriations 
bill which is now in the conference committee. Over the summer, I 
organized a group of 62 other Members of the House, both Republicans 
and Democrats, to join together and urge the conferees to include the 
Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the final appropriations bill. I hope we 
are successful and that we can pass meaningful reform this fall. It is 
certainly within our grasp, but we need all the help we can get to urge 
other Members of the House and of the Senate to include this vital 
legislation, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, in the final version of 
the appropriations bill.
  We must all redouble our efforts to pass sensible hate crimes 
prevention legislation this year. We must continue our fight to protect 
American families from violent bigotry and from vicious acts of hatred. 
Our constituents and the citizens of this great country expect no less 
of us.

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