Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise today to urge the Republican leadership to bring the bill of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), H.R.…”

“I rise today to urge the Republican leadership to bring the bill of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), H.R. 1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to the House floor before we leave next week. Communities across the Nation, including Marin and Sonoma Counties, where I work and that I am privileged to represent, are horrified by the brutal crimes committed against innocent Sikhs, Arabs, Indians, and people of Muslim faith. Our children are watching in horror as their moms, their dads, brothers, sisters and close friends are being harassed, spit on, beaten, and, even worse, killed. These hate crimes are happening in their neighborhoods, their schools, and their places of worship. Does this Congress want to stand by and let our children be subjected to this kind of hate, or will the 107th Congress recognize the problem at hand and take the action necessary to reverse this trend by bringing H.R. 1343 forward? Mr. Speaker, we must past this bipartisan bill now.”