John Conyers: “The reason is that it is unrefuted that many of the crimes with which we are concerned are never prosecuted. Sometimes…”

“The reason is that it is unrefuted that many of the crimes with which we are concerned are never prosecuted. Sometimes it is because the State and local authorities do not have the resources, but other times it is because they do not have the will. But the bottom line is that these crimes often go unpunished. Today we are asking our colleagues to go on record as to whether or not they will support a Federal law to ensure that these crimes be prosecuted, but only when the State legal system breaks down. Many State officials have asked for Federal legislation so that they can get help from Federal authorities in handling these crimes because of the complexity of the cases and because many of the purveyors of hate operate across State lines. Many of us in the House have already been on record supporting Federal criminal laws that are based on discriminatory acts.”