Tina Smith: “first may I express my appreciation to those who have agreed to this time agreement about an issue that is long overdue…”

“first may I express my appreciation to those who have agreed to this time agreement about an issue that is long overdue for our Senate to take up once again and to vote on its merits. This is the issue of hate crimes. This is an issue that is much in the news of late because it is an issue that too often is visited on the American people, or classes of Americans within the American community. We are in the midst of a war on terror, and as we fight that war on terror abroad, it is important we not forget the war on terror at home. What Senator Kennedy and I are trying to do in this bill is to simply remind the American people that there are classes of Americans who are uniquely vulnerable, who are singled out for violence, and for whom we need to do something. It is a fact that hate crimes statutes are on the books of well over 30 States in America. They are even on the books of the U.S. Government. The Federal Government now has authority to pursue, prosecute, and punish those who commit hate crimes on the basis of race, religion, or national origin. What we are proposing to do in this bill is to add a few categories. There is one category, one class of Americans that is the problem in this amendment, as some view it a problem, and that is the gay and lesbian community.”