Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1730, the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017. I thank Congressman Kilmer for his vision and leadership on this critical issue. This legislation would strengthen current Federal law to prohibit threats against religious property, increase the penalty for damaging religious property, and expand protected religious property to include not just houses of worship, but also religiously affiliated nonprofits, like Jewish community centers. Over the past few years, there has been a frightening rise in incidents of racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia in the U.S. and around the world. All too often, the perpetrators of hate target houses of worship and other religious centers. From the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin in 2012, to Charleston's Emanuel AME Church shooting in 2015, to the mosque attack in London this summer, and the firebombing of a synagogue in Sweden just this past weekend, these violent, cowardly bigots go after what is most sacred to the communities they so odiously abhor. While the hateful incidents that result in loss of life are undoubtedly the most tragic, any threat or attack against religious property can shake communities to their core. The Jewish community of south Florida, sadly, knows this firsthand. Last year, a man planned to bomb a synagogue in Aventura in my congressional district during Passover.…”