SEN. OBAMA ISSUES STATEMENT ON HOUSE-SENATE FAILURE TO STRENGTHEN HATE CRIMES LAWS, GUARANTEE EQUALITY

The office of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., issued the following statement:

U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement after House and Senate Conferees failed to include the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. Obama is an original cosponsor of the legislation, which would strengthen the federal government's ability to assist local authorities in the investigation and prosecution of crimes motivated by hate and which would provide additional funds to states to develop hate crime prevention programs. The Act would have also expanded the definition of a hate crime to include those crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability. The amendment originally passed the Senate in September.

The text of the statement is below:

"The Senate took an important step forward in strengthening current law and fulfilling our nation's founding principle of equality by passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act in September. While it is imperative that the Congress move this Defense Authorization bill, I am extremely disappointed that House and Senate negotiators failed to include this important provision in the bill being sent to the President.

"Hate crimes are unacceptable. All Americans deserve to live their lives without fear of hate driven attacks. Those who commit such heinous crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, no matter whether those crimes are committed on account of race, gender, gender identity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

"Almost 40 years after Congress first enacted a federal hate crimes law, it is our moral obligation to continue striving for equality, and ensure that the federal government, along with state and local jurisdictions, have the tools necessary to effectively prosecute these crimes. Given the rise in hate crimes nationally, failure to pass this vital legislation is truly unacceptable."Contact: Amy Brundage, 202/228-5511.

The Matthew Shepard Act (officially, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007

Sponsor: Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] (introduced 4/12/2007)      Cosponsors (44)

Related Bills: H.R.1592
Latest Major Action: 4/12/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

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COSPONSORS(44), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Sen Akaka, Daniel K. [HI] - 4/12/2007	Sen Bayh, Evan [IN] - 4/12/2007
Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE] - 4/12/2007	Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] - 4/12/2007
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 4/12/2007	Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] - 4/12/2007
Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA] - 4/12/2007	Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] - 4/12/2007
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] - 4/12/2007	Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 4/12/2007
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] - 4/12/2007	Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - 4/12/2007
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] - 4/12/2007	Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] - 4/12/2007
Sen Harkin, Tom [IA] - 4/12/2007	Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [HI] - 4/12/2007
Sen Johnson, Tim [SD] - 4/12/2007	Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] - 4/12/2007
Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN] - 4/12/2007	Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA] - 4/12/2007
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] - 4/12/2007	Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 4/12/2007
Sen Levin, Carl [MI] - 4/12/2007	Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 4/12/2007
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. [AR] - 4/12/2007	Sen McCaskill, Claire [MO] - 4/12/2007
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] - 4/12/2007	Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] - 4/12/2007
Sen Murray, Patty [WA] - 4/12/2007	Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] - 4/12/2007
Sen Nelson, E. Benjamin [NE] - 4/12/2007	Sen Obama, Barack [IL] - 4/12/2007
Sen Reed, Jack [RI] - 4/12/2007	Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV [WV] - 4/12/2007
Sen Salazar, Ken [CO] - 4/12/2007	Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] - 4/23/2007
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] - 4/12/2007	Sen Smith, Gordon H. [OR] - 4/12/2007
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] - 4/12/2007	Sen Specter, Arlen [PA] - 4/12/2007
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] - 4/12/2007	Sen Webb, Jim [VA] - 9/25/2007
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 4/12/2007	Sen Wyden, Ron [OR] - 4/16/2007