From: Hrccomm@aol.com
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 1996 16:03:58 -0500
Subject: Urge Your Senators To Reauthorize The Hate Crimes Statistics Act

________________________________________________________
***URGENT***

Action Alert from the
Human Rights Campaign

1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
email:  communications@hrcusa.org
WWW:    http://www.hrcusa.org
________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1996

                     URGE YOUR SENATORS TO REAUTHORIZE
                          THE HATE CRIMES STATISTICS ACT

  Take Action to Renew Landmark Law Tracking Bias-Motivated Violence

                             FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO 
                      HRC'S WEBSITE AT http://www.hrcusa.org

The time has come for Congress to renew the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, the
first-ever federal law to include sexual orientation in its scope.  Enacted
in 1990, the law requires the U.S. Department of Justice to collect data on
hate crimes -- crimes that show evidence of prejudice based on sexual
orientation, race, religion, ethnicity or disability.  
     Time and again, lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans -- as well as
heterosexuals who are mistakenly perceived to be gay -- are targeted for
violence simply because of who they are.  In 1994 alone, the FBI documented
780 incidents of hate violence involving prejudice based on
sexual orientation -- brutalities ranging from harassment to physical assault
and even murder.  To help combat hate violence, federal tracking of these
incidents must continue.
     The bipartisan effort to renew the Hate Crimes Statistics Act begins in
the Senate. Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Paul Simon, D-Ill., are
introducing a bill to permanently reauthorize this law. Large numbers of
co-sponsors are needed to move the bill forward, so... Contact Your Senators
Now!
     Please write, call, fax and e-mail your U.S. senators, urging them to
co-sponsor the Hate Crimes Statistics Act. Ask your friends to do the same.
You can also contact your senators through the Human Rights Campaign's World
Wide Web site at http://www.hrcusa.org.  To call them, you can dial the
Capitol switchboard, even if you aren't sure who they are. Just ask the
switchboard operator and you will be connected.  Ask for their fax numbers
and e-mail addresses as well:
Call:     U.S. Capitol (202) 224-3121
Write:    The Honorable __________
     U.S. Senate                   
     Washington, DC 20510

     Sample Letter
     Use the sample letter below as a guide for your own communications with
your senators:
Dear Senator __________:
     I am greatly concerned about issues of fairness for lesbian and gay
Americans. In particular, I am asking you to co-sponsor the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act reauthorization, sponsored by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and
Paul Simon, D-Ill. The bill, first signed into law by President Bush in 1990,
requires the FBI to collect national statistics on hate crimes --
specifically those based on race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity and
disability.
     I understand that the time has come to reauthorize this legislation.
The Hatch-Simon bill makes no substantive changes to the law, but will simply
remove the time limitations from the act so that important statistics will
continue to be collected.
     Hate crimes continue to be a very real part of America's crime problem,
and lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans remain among the most frequent
targets of these attacks. Crimes that are motivated by hate and prejudice
impact not only the direct victims, but the entire community targeted --
attacking the bedrock American value of tolerance.  It is essential that we
continue to collect statistics to better understand and therefore be able to
respond to these crimes.
     I urge you to co-sponsor the Hatch-Simon reauthorization of this
important legislation. I look forward to hearing from you on this matter.
Sincerely,
__________


     The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay
political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively
lobbies Congress, provides campaign support, and educates the public to
ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest, and safe at home,
at work, and in the community.  To join, call (800) 777-4723.

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