[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 65 (Thursday, April 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

  Mr. President, this may be a transfer to a second subject, which 
actually goes a little bit in concert with talking about Vanita Gupta, 
and that is rising in support of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the 
Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act.
  During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Nation has witnessed a surge in 
racism, xenophobia, and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific 
Islanders. In fact, between March of last year and February of this 
year, there were nearly 3,800 hate incidents targeting Asian Americans. 
It should go without saying that these actions have no place in our 
communities.
  To address this spike in anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes, we must 
stand in solidarity with the AAPI community, and we must act against 
these heinous crimes. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act helps address this 
crisis head-on.
  This bill, very simply, requires Attorney General Garland to 
designate a coordinator within the Department of Justice to expedite, 
review, and facilitate reporting of COVID-19 related hate crimes. 
Further, it requires the DOJ to issue guidance to State and local law 
enforcement, to equip them with the tools needed to deal with the 
disturbing surge in incidents targeting the AAPI community.
  It is tragic but not surprising that hate crimes in America have 
always been critically underreported. In fact, reports released by the 
Department of Justice in recent years suggest that the majority of hate 
crimes are not even reported--not even reported.
  Our current patchwork system, paired with inconsistent reporting and 
resources, guarantees that many instances of hate-related violence and 
crimes go uncounted. Not only does this mask the true scale of hate 
incidents across our Nation, it also means that investigative resources 
and support structures may not be available to victims who need it.
  This problem can be exacerbated by cultural and language barriers and 
made even worse by the pandemic, which has made it more difficult for 
folks to get connected with reporting mechanisms or useful resources. 
Fortunately, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act seeks to address these 
challenges by providing a clearinghouse for these cases.
  Over the past decade, our Nation has seen a steady rise in hate 
crimes. Groups and individuals targeting minority and religious groups 
have increasingly perpetrated sickening acts of violence fueled by 
hateful ideologies.
  We saw that here on January 6. We also saw it earlier in my State, in 
Virginia. In Charlottesville, back in 2017, we saw this hate and 
violence on our streets when a White supremacist drove a car through a 
group of peaceful protesters, injuring many and killing a young woman 
named Heather Heyer.
  It is critical that we give our law enforcement the tools they need 
to curb these horrific acts. That is why, on a related item, I am also 
cosponsor of the bipartisan Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act. My hope is that 
it will be offered as an amendment to the COVID-19 bill that we 
hopefully will be addressing shortly.
  This bill modernizes our reporting system for hate crimes so that we 
can respond to accurate data. It also provides grants to establish hate 
crime hotlines, to record information about hate crimes, and to 
redirect victims and witnesses to law enforcement and local support 
services as needed. Finally, this bill provides a Federal private right 
of action for hate crime victims and allows judges to sentence 
community-specific education and community service. Together, these 
changes create a new model for addressing these crimes and preventing 
them from going unreported or unpunished.
  Both the COVID-19 Hate Crime Act and the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act are 
straightforward pieces of legislation that give victims and law 
enforcement officers the tools they desperately need to tackle the 
increasing prevalence of hate incidents in our country. I hope that we 
move quickly on both these pieces of legislation in major bipartisan 
fashion.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. King). The Senator from Arkansas