Mike Levin: “I support the passage of the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. We have all heard…”

“I support the passage of the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. We have all heard the story of Matthew Shepard: the 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming who was brutally beaten--his skull smashed-- and tied to a fence with a rope and left to die--because he was homosexual. No one should be targeted because of the color of their skin, their religion, their gender or their sexual orientation. In April of this year, I joined Senators Kennedy, Smith, and others in introducing hate crimes legislation. This amendment, which is identical to that legislation, for the first time will expand the definition of a hate crime to include gender, gender identity, disability, and sexual orientation. It gives the Justice Department jurisdiction over crimes of violence committed because of a person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Existing law only covers race, color, religion, or national origin-based hate crimes, where the victim was engaging in one of six `specified activities.' It will also strengthen the ability of the Federal, State, and local governments to investigate and prosecute hate crimes based on race, ethnic background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Some have said that this bill will take away first amendment rights. That is just not true. This law would punish violent acts, not beliefs.”