Subject: KEY SENATE PANEL TO KICK OFF RENEWAL OF LANDMARK HATE CRIMES
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 16:27:32 -0500

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NEWS from the
Human Rights Campaign

1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
email:  [email-masked]
WWW:    http://www.hrcusa.org
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 13, 1996

                   KEY SENATE PANEL TO KICK OFF RENEWAL
                  OF LANDMARK HATE CRIMES STATISTICS ACT

            Witnesses From Law Enforcement, Civil Rights Groups to
           Testify For Extending Popular Bipartisan Crime Legislation

                       FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO OUR
                           WEBSITE AT http://www.hrcusa.org

Washington -- A key Senate panel has scheduled a hearing for a bill to renew
the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, a landmark law requiring the Department of
Justice to collect data on bias-motivated crimes involving prejudice based on
race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity and disability. The hearing
will take place in Washington at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, in Room 226 of
the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
     The Senate Judiciary Committee --  chaired by Utah Republican Orrin
Hatch, the bill's lead sponsor -- will hear from a broad-based coalition
representing local law enforcement officials and mayors, as well as civil
rights, gay and religious organizations supporting the measure.  Witnesses
from the FBI, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the International Association of
Chiefs of Police, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith and  the
Leadership Conference Education Fund, a research arm of the Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights, will present testimony for the bill, soon to be
introduced in the Senate by Hatch and Illinois Democrat Paul Simon.
     "Hate crimes against lesbian and gay people and other communities
continue to be a national epidemic," said Human Rights Campaign Senior Policy
Advocate Nancy Buermeyer. 
"By documenting these outrageous attacks through ongoing federal monitoring,
the Hate Crimes Statistics Act provides the critical information local law
enforcement needs when deciding  how
best to respond to these crimes."
     In 1994 alone, the Justice Department reported 5,852 bias-motivated
incidents under the law, ranging from harassment to physical assault and even
murder.  Of these occurrences, 780
involved prejudice based on sexual orientation. Attorney General Janet Reno
has issued a statement supporting the law's permanent renewal, and has
directed the FBI to continue collecting hate-crimes data in the interim since
the law expired last December.
     "When personal bigotry becomes public bashing, Americans draw the line,"
asserted Buermeyer, expressing optimism about the bill's prospects. "Despite
all of our differences, we unite as a nation when people are targeted by hate
violence simply because of who they are."
     With overwhelming bipartisan support, Congress originally passed the
Hate Crimes Statistics Act in 1990 by a vote of 92-4 in the Senate and 368-17
in the House.  It  was signed into law by President Bush, making it the first
piece of federal legislation ever to include sexual orientation within its
scope.
     The Human Rights Campaign is fully mobilizing its members and working
with its coalition partners for renewal of the law, and encourages all
fair-minded Americans to contact their senators at (202) 224-3121 to voice
their support.
     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.

                                                                             
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