[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 5, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H8885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1630
         PASS H.R. 1343, THE HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2001

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H.R. 1343, the 
Hate Crimes Prevention Act, I am committed to seeing this legislation 
enacted into law. It is really important. I also want to thank the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), my friend and colleague, for 
her leadership on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, last year hate crimes legislation passed the Senate in a 
bipartisan 57 to 42 vote on June 20. We had over 190 bipartisan 
cosponsors in the House, regrettably not enough to gain House passage. 
Many fear that this legislation would create a new area of law, and 
this is simply not true.
  H.R. 1343, which currently has 199 bipartisan cosponsors, will 
enhance the ability of Federal law enforcement to provide assistance to 
State and local prosecution of hate crimes and, in certain limited 
cases, ease the ability of Federal law enforcement to prosecute racial, 
religious, ethnic and gender-based violence.
  The FBI has reported approximately 50,000 hate crimes have been 
committed in the past 5 years, with nearly 8,000 reported last year 
alone. And although these statistics are alarming, even more disturbing 
is the fact that groups monitoring such crimes report that the FBI's 
data collection method has routinely missed tens of thousands of cases, 
and the number of hate crimes is probably closer to 50,000 a year.
  Why the discrepancy? Because participation in the FBI's annual hate 
crimes statistics report is voluntary, and several States do not fully 
participate. The FBI collects the data from local jurisdictions under 
the 1990 Hate Crime Statistics Act; and, unfortunately, little money 
has been allocated to train police officers to determine whether a 
crime was fueled by hate.
  Mr. Speaker, now more than ever we need to provide law enforcement 
the tools and the resources they need to both report and fight against 
these senseless acts of hate and violence. These crimes are uniquely 
destructive and divisive. Their perpetrators seek not only to harm the 
immediate victim but to make a statement to an entire community.
  Hate crimes are a disturbing barometer of the state of a nation. 
Notably, antiblack hate crimes accounted for 35.6 percent of all racial 
bias; anti-semitism accounted for 75 percent of all religious 
incidents; and people with substantial disabilities, approximately 15 
percent of the population, suffer from violent and other major crimes 
at rates many times higher than that for the general population. 
Research shows that this population is over four times as likely to be 
victims of crime than are people without disabilities.
  Hate crimes based on sexual orientation also continue to rise and 
currently make up the third highest category after race and religion. 
Additionally, in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the 
Arab-American Antidiscrimination Committee has investigated, documented 
and referred to Federal authorities over 450 incidents of hate-related 
crime. Moreover, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has compiled 
over 1,200 complaints of hate attacks directed against American 
Muslims.
  State and local authorities currently prosecute the overwhelming 
majority of hate crimes, and they will continue to do so with enhanced 
support of the Federal Government under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
  Mr. Speaker, hate crimes represent an attack on the American ideal 
that we can forge one Nation out of many different people and requires 
a determined response from law enforcement. The Hate Crimes Prevention 
Act is a constructive and measured response to a problem that continues 
to plague our Nation: violence motivated by prejudice. Let us pass H.R. 
1343. It is long overdue.

                          ____________________