[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 162 (Wednesday, November 28, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H8428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PASS HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, a quote from the New Haven Register, my 
hometown paper, dated yesterday, ``Hate Crimes Are a Local Danger.'' 
What it does is cites three recent reports that were conducted in the 
State of Connecticut: one by the Anti-Defamation League which says in 
recent years Connecticut has experienced a breadth and scope of 
extremist activity disproportionate to its small size. This is an 
alarming report if added to that is a State police analysis showing 
that reported hate crimes in Connecticut increased by almost 20 percent 
from 1998 to 1999. Add to that the chief State's attorney's recent 
report that says that since September 11 and the terrorist attacks on 
New York City and Washington, D.C., that there have been 13 hate crimes 
reported since that day, mostly aimed at American citizens merely on 
the grounds that they were of Arab extraction or of the Muslim faith. 
This reemphasizes the need for religious, cultural and educational 
institutions of Connecticut to continue promoting understanding.
  Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity at the Federal level to pass a 
bill, the Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2001, that would help local law 
enforcement officials deal with hate crimes. We must do it nationally, 
and we must do it for our local communities.

                          ____________________