[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 65 (Thursday, April 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1444. Ms. HIRONO (for herself and Ms. Collins) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 937, to
facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
On page 2, between lines 3 and 4, insert the following:
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Following the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, there has
been a dramatic increase in hate crimes and violence against
Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
(2) According to a recent report, there were nearly 3,800
reported cases of anti-Asian discrimination and incidents
related to COVID-19 between March 19, 2020, and February 28,
2021, in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.
(3) During this timeframe, race has been cited as the
primary reason for discrimination, making up over 90 percent
of incidents, and the United States condemns and denounces
any and all anti-Asian and Pacific Islander sentiment in any
form.
(4) Roughly 36 percent of Asian-American and Pacific
Islander businesses have been the targets of discrimination
incidents during this time period.
(5) More than 1,900,000 Asian-American and Pacific Islander
older adults, particularly those older adults who are recent
immigrants or have limited English proficiency, may face even
greater challenges in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,
including discrimination, economic insecurity, and language
isolation.
On page 2, strike line 4 and insert the following:
SEC. 3. REVIEW OF HATE CRIMES.
On page 2, line 5, strike ``1 day'' and insert ``7 days''.
On page 2, line 8, strike ``sole''.
On page 2, beginning on line 9, strike ``COVID-19 hate
crimes'' and insert ``hate crimes (as described in section
249 of title 18, United States Code)''.
On page 2, line 11, strike ``or local'' and insert ``local,
or Tribal''.
Beginning on page 2, strike line 12 and all that follows
through page 3, line 8 and insert the following:
(b) Applicable Period Defined.--In this section, the term
``applicable period'' means the period beginning on the date
on which the officer or employee is designated under
subsection (a), and ending on the date that is 1 year after
the date on which the emergency period described in
subparagraph (B) of section 1135(g)(1) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1)) ends, except that the Attorney
General may extend such period as appropriate.
On page 3, strike lines 9 through 20 and insert the
following:
SEC. 4. GUIDANCE.
(a) Guidance for Law Enforcement Agencies.--The Attorney
General shall issue guidance for State, local, and Tribal law
enforcement agencies, pursuant to this Act and other
applicable law, on how to--
(1) establish online reporting of hate crimes or incidents,
and to have online reporting that is equally effective for
people with disabilities as for people without disabilities
available in multiple languages as determined by the Attorney
General;
(2) collect data disaggregated by the protected
characteristics described in section 249 of title 18, United
States Code; and
(3) expand public education campaigns aimed at raising
awareness of hate crimes and reaching victims, that are
equally effective for people with disabilities as for people
without disabilities.
Beginning on page 3, strike line 25 and all that follows
through page 4, line 2 and insert the following: ``based
organizations, shall issue guidance aimed at raising
awareness of hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.''.
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