[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 65 (Thursday, April 30, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1032-E1033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 29, 2009

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to declare my strong support for 
H.R. 1913, the

[[Page E1033]]

Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and to urge its swift 
passage in the House of Representatives.
  This important legislation would expand the federal definition of 
hate-motivated crimes to include gender, sexual orientation, disability 
and gender identity. Violence provoked by prejudice has no place in our 
society. It jeopardizes not only the safety of the victims but also 
their friends and neighbors, and upsets public order by making people 
feel threatened in their communities.
  For example, persons with disabilities are often vulnerable to 
criminal hateful acts because they may seem different or use unfamiliar 
assistive technologies. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia, 
including my home state of Rhode Island, already recognize and 
prosecute these cases as hate crimes. However, there is still no 
uniform recognition on the national level that a disability could make 
a person uniquely susceptible to prejudice. Equally troubling is that 
Rhode Island law enforcement officials reported that nearly 50 percent 
of hate crime victims were targeted because of their sexual 
orientation. Yet even as so many Americans joined together to mourn the 
loss of Matthew Shepard last October, on the tenth anniversary of his 
brutal murder, hate-motivated crimes still go unrecognized under 
federal statute.
  H.R. 1913 has the practical purpose of authorizing training and 
grants for local law enforcement officials to facilitate prevention, 
investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. However, the passing of 
this bill today is equally as important as the civil rights legislation 
that was enacted several decades ago, which enforced the principle that 
our country does not accept targeting any American for violence or 
discrimination based on hatred. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
fighting bigotry that threatens our communities by voting for the Local 
Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

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