Mike Levin: “First, on the hate crimes legislation issue, my good friend from Virginia has accurately presented the facts. There are…”

“First, on the hate crimes legislation issue, my good friend from Virginia has accurately presented the facts. There are some additional facts, though, which should also be brought to bear. I can't remember a time, although there may have been one, when the Senate has adopted language, as we did by a vote of 57-42, and when the House of Representatives has adopted language, as they did by 30 or 40 votes--when I say ``adopted language'' in the House, let me be clear, what the House of Representatives did was even more precise than adopt the hate crimes language; they instructed their conferees to agree to our hate crimes language by 30 or 40 votes--I cannot remember a time when one body has adopted language and the other body has instructed their conferees to yield to the first body's language where that language has then been dropped in conference. I am not saying that has never happened because I haven't checked the records to be sure. I can say I can never remember it happening. Think about it. We had a big debate on this issue. We adopted Senator Kennedy's hate crimes language by a vote of 57-42 in this body. Then the House had a debate, instructing their conferees to agree to our language, and somehow or other it is dropped in conference. Let it be clear as to what happened. The House conferees would not accept our language, despite the instruction from the House of Representatives.…”