GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ACTION ALERT

Ask Your Legislators to Support the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act!

ISSUE AT HAND

The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (H.R. 1343 / S. 625) was reintroduced on March 27, 2001. Formerly known as the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1343 / S. 625, despite overwhelming bipartisan support, did not become law. The bill’s principle sponsors are Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Currently, there are 199 House and 50 Senate cosponsors.

BACKGROUND

Currently, the federal government is allowed to intervene in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes only if they occur on federal property, or if the victim was participating in one of six very specific activities, such as voting. The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, as introduced by Senator Kennedy and Representative Conyers, would allow the federal government to assist local authorities in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes, regardless of what the victim was doing when the crime occurred. H.R. 1343 / S. 625 also would expand the definition of a hate crime to include crimes induced by the disability of the victim, gender, or sexual orientation, and provide money to states to develop hate crime prevention programs. This law would permit the federal government to work with states and local authorities to punish hate crime perpetrators to the fullest extent possible. Although NASW contends that states should continue to play the primary role in the prosecution of hate crime violence, a federal law is essential to complement state statutes and to help states prosecute these complicated and expensive cases.

ACTION NEEDED

NASW needs its members to contact their Representative and Senators and ask them to cosponsor this legislation. We have provided a draft letter on Congress Web for members to email, fax, or mail to their Members of Congress. Your advocacy on this issue is critical to helping get this piece of legislation through the House and Senate.

TAKE ACTION NOW

What is Congress Web

ADDITIONAL FACTS REGARDING HATE CRIMES

The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act is an imperative tool to help fight the continuing problem of hate crimes against people because of race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or sexual orientation. To date, African Americans are still more likely to be targets of hate crimes. Of the nearly 8,000 hate crimes reported in 1997, almost 3,000 were motivated by bias against African Americans. Between 1991 and 1997, more than 40 percent of all reported hate crimes were committed against African Americans. Other common victims were Jews, homosexuals, Muslims, and increasingly, Asian and Hispanic Americans. According to the FBI, crimes associated with prejudice because of the victims color, religion, disability, national origin, or sexual orientation increased 2 percent in 2000. The FBI data consists of 8,063 cases reported by Local Law Enforcement in 2000, or 187 more than in 1999. NASW believes that hate crimes continue to plague and terrorize America as well as engender a destructive effect not only on the victims, but also on entire communities throughout the nation. H.R. 1343 / S. 625 is vital legislation that unequivocally will address criminal atrocities predicated on racial intolerance and societal indifference directed at people who are viewed as outside of America’s mainstream. Please call, write, or e-mail your Members of Congress and encourage them to support this legislation.