Amy Klobuchar: “I rise today to discuss the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. I was a cosponsor of this bill, which was introduced by Senator…”

“I rise today to discuss the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. I was a cosponsor of this bill, which was introduced by Senator Hirono and passed the Senate on April 22, 2021, by a vote of 94 to 1. I was in Minnesota to attend the memorial service for Daunte Wright when the bill came up for a vote, but I would have voted in favor of the bill had I been present. I have been alarmed by the sharp increase in hate crimes against members of the Asian-American Pacific Islander, AAPI, community during the pandemic. According to Stop AAPI Hate, there have been approximately 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian bias across the country in the last year, and that number only includes what has been reported. As we saw with the recent mass shooting in Georgia, in which six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent, these crimes are horrifying and heartbreaking. I have also talked to constituents in my State who have experienced verbal attacks, physical abuse, and threats to their businesses simply because they are members of the AAPI community. What they have endured is not right. These are hate crimes, and it is time for us to stand together, to denounce hate, and take action. When I first arrived at the Senate, I worked hard to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. As a prosecutor, I was at the White House when President Bill Clinton introduced the bill, and 9 years later, I got to cast one of the deciding votes to make the bill a reality.…”