[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 96 (Tuesday, July 13, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S8023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S8023]]
                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2003

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I speak about the need for hate crimes 
legislation. On May 1, 2003, Senator Kennedy and I introduced the Local 
Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, a bill that would add new categories 
to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind 
is unacceptable in our society.
  On February 25, 2001, a transgendered man named Victor Pachas was 
beaten, stabbed, slashed, and asphyxiated by a man who, according to 
his own attorneys, was ``driven by revulsion and fear'' of Pachas' 
sexual orientation.
  I believe that Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to 
defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Local Law 
Enforcement Enhancement Act is a symbol that can become substance. By 
passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts 
and minds as well.

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