North Cook News

WASHINGTON – On June 15, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) reintroduced the Hate Crimes Commission Act in the U.S. House of Representatives with Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY). Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) reintroduced the same bill in the U.S. Senate. This legislation creates a bipartisan commission to investigate and identify barriers faced by law enforcement agencies in reporting representative data on hate crimes throughout the United States. This commission is comprised of 12 members appointed by House and Senate leadership, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate the observed rise in hate crimes, contributing factors for bias-motivated crime, and actions federal agencies can take to improve data collection on these crimes by local law enforcement entities.

A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here, and final text of the bill can be found here.

“Over the last few years, our nation has endured a disturbing surge in the rate and number of hate-motivated crimes and violence,” said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. “I’m proud to join with my colleagues in both chambers to reintroduce this legislation to establish a national commission on hate crimes and assess the scale of this wave of violence, its causes, and how we can best end it.  The Hate Crimes Commission Act will help provide a path forward to ending the waves of hate-motivated violence and harassment facing our country to inform law enforcement’s approach to collect representative data, identify community bias prevention strategies, and combat future acts of hate.”

“The ability to analyze and prepare for hate crimes is a crucial step toward keeping our communities safe from these despicable bias-motivated attacks,” said Senator Kristen Gillibrand. “The Hate Crimes Commission Act would create a path forward for Congress to study proactive and preventive strategies to combat future hate crimes, which have no place in New York and our country. With record levels of hate crimes across the nation, this bill could not be more urgently needed.”

“Hate crimes and incidents are an infection that plague countless communities in the United States, which is why I have worked so hard to equip everybody from the highest-ranking officials to everyday citizens with the tools to report and combat hate crimes in any situation,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng. “That is why I am proud to co-lead the Hate Crimes Commission Act of 2023, which would establish a national commission on hate crimes to assess the scale of hate crime violence, its causes, and how to combat and prevent hate crimes.

“Violence has no place in our communities; this includes crimes motivated by prejudice and hate,” said Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez. “I’m proud to support The Hate Crimes Commission Act, which will help to curb hate crimes in our country and ensure that the federal government has the tools it needs to prevent these crimes from happening in the future. Together we can help foster a culture of compassion, tolerance and respect."

“Hate-driven violence is on the rise and continues to threaten all of our communities,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of Anti-Defamation League (ADL). “At the same time, agencies across the country are not adequately reporting hate crimes. Data drives policy, and gaps in data on hate crimes have hindered our response for too long. The Hate Crimes Commission Act is a critical step towards improved reporting and prevention measures to better address rising hate crimes.”

118th Endorsing Organizations (9 Total): Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), Anti-Defamation League (ADL), National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), Asian Pacific Islander Health Forum (APIAHF), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Futures Without Violence (“Futures”), Equality Illinois , Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).

118th Original House Original Cosponsors (61): Reps. Meng*, Velázquez*, Barragán, Bonamici, Brown, Bush, Cárdenas, Carson, Casten, Chu, Clarke, Connolly, Correa, Costa, Dean, DeGette, DeSaulnier, Espaillat, Evans, García (TX), García (IL), Gomez, Gottheimer, Green, Grijalva, Higgins, Holmes Norton, Huffman, Jackson Lee, Jacobs, Jayapal, Johnson, Kelly, Kilmer, Lee, Lieu, McGarvey, McGovern, Omar, Payne, Phillips, Pocan, Ross, Sánchez, Schakowsky, Schiff, Schneider, Scott, Sewell, Stevens, Strickland, Thompson, Titus, Tonko, Torres, Trahan, Veasey, Watson Coleman, Williams, Wilson

Original source can be found here.