[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 132 (Tuesday, October 2, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF MATTHEW SHEPARD AND JAMES BYRD, JR. HATE 
                         CRIMES PREVENTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 2, 2012

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 3rd 
anniversary of the passing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. 
Hate Crimes Prevention Act. On October 28, 2009, President Barack Obama 
signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes 
Prevention Act, which I cosponsored and voted for when it was passed by 
a Democratic led Congress on October 8, 2009 as part of the 2010 
Defense Authorization Act.
  The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act 
greatly expands the 1969 United States Federal Hate-Crime Law to 
include crimes motivated by the victim's perceived or actual sexual 
orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. The bill expands 
prosecution beyond instances of federally protected activities, enables 
the federal government greater freedom in prosecuting cases that local 
authorities do not pursue, and is the first federal law to extend 
protection to transgender persons.
  The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is 
named for Matthew Shepard, a 19-year-old gay man from Wyoming who was 
beaten and left for dead, and James Byrd, Jr., a 49-year-old African 
American man from Texas who was beaten and dragged behind a truck until 
he was dead.
  This legislation which was first introduced in Congress a decade ago 
marks a proud step forward for our nation in strengthening the dignity 
and personal rights of all Americans. It is a matter of simple justice, 
one that says violence against people based on individual variations 
like race, gender, sexual orientation, military status and religion 
will not be tolerated.
  Mr. Speaker, I represent an exceptionally diverse district. The Hate 
Crimes Prevention Act is especially important to me in that it has, and 
will continue to, improve the safety of so many of the people I 
represent. From our LGBT community to our historic African American and 
Hispanic neighborhoods, this law improves the protection of all of us 
against senseless violence based on bias and hate.

                          ____________________