Hate Crimes Prevention Act

November 1, 1999

In the past week, the United States Congress failed to enact the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1999 as part of the conference report on the Commerce State Justice Appropriations Bill. This was a critical piece of legislation which would have helped to protect the civil rights of all Americans. As a result, there is an immediate need for all of those concerned with enacting this critical anti-bias law and protecting the civil rights of all Americans to act in response to this grievous situation.

The Senate and the President need to know that you care deeply about bias-motivated violence and will not tolerate the failure of the Congress to enact the HCPA as part of the Commerce State Justice appropriations bill. We need to demand that it be an absolute priority for both the Congress and the Administration to include it in the expected omnibus appropriations bill. Lawyers' Committee is calling on all members of the Board of Directors and the Trustees, Local Affiliates and our friends and colleagues to take immediate action on this issue.

What is needed?:
Contact the majority and minority leadership in the House and Senate and prominent individuals in the Administration whom you know to inform them of the critical importance of including the provisions of the HCPA in the omnibus appropriations bill.

Let them know that they have an essential leadership role to play in confronting and punishing criminal activity motivated by prejudice.

Important Points:
1. State and local authorities currently investigate and prosecute the majority of hate crime cases and will continue to do so. While many states have hate crimes statutes, they vary considerably in their coverage and the authority they give state law enforcement to act.

2. The federal government must have jurisdiction to address those bias-motivated crimes in states which the law is inadequate or where state authorities fail to act.

3. HCPA only provides the necessary backstop to state and local enforcement by permitting federal authorities to provide assistance to these investigations and by allowing federal prosecution when necessary to achieve a just result

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