Some much needed additional protection
Good news - it only took 11 years, but hate crimes legislation was signed by Obama today.
President Obama signed major civil rights legislation on Wednesday, making it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation, gender and gender identity. The new measure expands the the scope of a 1968 law that applies to people attacked because of their race, religion or national origin. The U.S. Justice Department will have expanded authority to prosecute such crimes when local authorities don't.
The provision, called the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is attached to a defense authorization bill. It is named after Matthew Shepard, a gay college student tortured and killed in 1998, and James Byrd Jr., a black man who was chained to a pickup truck and dragged to his death the same year.
The measure expands current hate crimes law to include violence based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to the must-pass defense policy bill over the steep objections of many Republicans.
Labels: society
posted by Danielle @ 10:45 PM
1 Comments:
Although I agree with the expansion of this law I disagree how it was done. I will never agree to attaching legislation which has absolutely no bearing on the primary bill in an attempt to pass it. All legislation should pass or fail on it's own merits. This is why Congress is broke, with regards to how it operates. As far as monetary being broke they pass that on to the taxpayers.
Post a Comment
<< Home