Thursday, September 03, 2009
Tweet[IWS] CRS: HATE CRIME LEGISLATION [24 July 2009]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Hate Crime Legislation
William J. Krouse, Specialist in Domestic Security and Crime Policy
July 24, 2009
http://opencrs.com/document/RL33403/2009-07-24/download/1013/
[full-text, 32 pages]
Summary
Current law defines hate crime as any crime against either person or property in which the
offender intentionally selects the victim because of the victim's actual or perceived race, color,
religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation. Hate crimes are not
separate and distinct offenses under current federal law. Rather, hate crimes are traditional crimes,
during which the offender is motivated by one or more biases that are considered to be
particularly reprehensible and damaging to society as a whole. Furthermore, federal jurisdiction
over hate crime is limited to certain civil rights offenses, which are considered to be "hate crimes"
when it is determined that the offender was motivated by a bias against race, color, religion,
national origin, and, in limited instances, disability.
Determining the definitive federal role in addressing hate crime has proven elusive, as reflected in
the legislative history and ongoing congressional debate. Legislation to widen federal jurisdiction
over hate crime was passed by the Senate in the 106th and 108th Congresses and by the House in
the 109th Congress. Opponents of hate crime legislation view creating separate federal offenses
for hate crime as redundant and largely symbolic, arguing that separate hate crime offenses would
be in addition to the legal prohibitions for traditional crime that already exist under either federal
or state law. They also contend that in most cases the federal nexus is tenuous, and that such
offenses are best handled at the state and local level. Proponents of creating a separate and
distinct federal offense for hate crime maintain that there is a fundamental difference between
ordinary crime and hate crime. They believe that hate crimes are often perpetrated to send a
message of threat and intimidation to a wider group, that the effects of hate crime extend beyond
the particular victim and reflect more pervasive patterns of discrimination on the basis of race,
color, religion, national origin, and other characteristics.
In the 110th Congress, Representative John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee,
introduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592). Passed by the
House on May 3, 2007, H.R. 1592 would have widened federal jurisdiction over hate crimes and
expanded the categories of protected persons to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Senator Edward Kennedy, a key sponsor and leading supporter of such legislation in previous
Congresses, introduced a similar bill (S. 1105), the language of which was successfully amended
to the Senate-passed FY2008 Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 1585) on September 27, 2007.
That language, however, was a point of contention in pre-conference negotiations on H.R. 1585
and was dropped from the conference agreement. In addition, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee
introduced the David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 254), and Representative
Carolyn Maloney, the Hate Crime Statistics Improvement Act (H.R. 1164).
In the 111th Congress, the House Judiciary Committee amended and ordered reported a hate
crimes bill (H.R. 1913) on April 23, 2009. The House passed H.R. 1913 on April 29, 2009.
Senator Reid, for Senator Kennedy, introduced the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
(S. 909) on April 28, 2009. Senator Leahy successfully amended the National Defense
Authorization Act (S. 1390) with language that is similar to S. 909 on July 16, 2009. The Senate
passed S. 1390, amended, on July 23, 2009. In addition, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee has
introduced three hate crime-related bills (H.R. 70, H.R. 256, and H.R. 262), and Representative
Maloney has introduced a hate crime statistics act (H.R. 823). At issue for Congress is whether
the prevalence and harmfulness of hate crimes warrant greater federal intervention to ensure that
such crimes are systematically addressed at all levels of government. Another related issue
Congress may choose to consider is the completeness and comprehensiveness of national hate
crime data. This report will be updated to reflect further legislative action.
Contents
Most Recent Developments.........................................................................................................1
Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1
Legislative Action in the 111th Congress ......................................................................................2
Legislative Action in the 110th Congress ......................................................................................3
Overview of the Hate Crime Debate............................................................................................5
Historical Evolution of Hate Crime Policy and Legislation..........................................................5
Early Civil Rights Movement................................................................................................6
Second Wave of Civil Rights Movements..............................................................................7
Anti-Hate Crime Movement ..................................................................................................7
ADL Model Legislation ..................................................................................................7
Establishing Baseline Hate Crime Statistics.....................................................................8
Gender ............................................................................................................................8
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity...........................................................................8
Hate Crime and Current Law.......................................................................................................9
Federal Civil Rights Statutes and Hate Crime ......................................................................10
Hate Crime Statistics Act .................................................................................................... 11
Hate Crime Sentencing Enhancements ................................................................................12
Violence Against Women Act ..............................................................................................12
Church Arson Prevention Act ..............................................................................................12
U.S. Armed Forces and Hate Crime Prevention ...................................................................13
Federal Hate Crime Funding ...............................................................................................13
Federal Grants for Hate Crime Prevention Education.....................................................13
VAWA Domestic and Sexual Abuse Programs ...............................................................13
State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance................................................................13
Federal Hate Crime Statistics ....................................................................................................14
FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and Hate Crime ...........................................................14
BJS Hate Crime Victimization Statistics ..............................................................................16
Reporting Hate Crime: Complications and Shortcomings ....................................................17
NBIRS Hate Crime Statistics and Juveniles .........................................................................19
Hate Crime Bills in the 111th Congress ......................................................................................19
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913)..........................20
Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909).......................................................21
Amendments to the FY2010 Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390).......................................21
Noose Hate Crime Act of 2009 (H.R. 70) ............................................................................22
David Ray Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 256) ..................................................22
David Ray Ritcheson Hate Crime Prevention Act (H.R. 262)...............................................22
Hate Crime Statistics Improvement Act of 2009 (H.R. 823).................................................22
Hate Crime Legislative Action the 110th Congress .....................................................................23
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1592)..........................23
Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act 2007 (S. 1105) ..................................................23
Amendments to the FY2008 Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1585)...................................24
Hate Crime Legislative Action in the 107th through 109th Congresses ........................................24
Possible Options and Issues for Congress ..................................................................................26
Should Federal Jurisdiction Be Broadened?.........................................................................26
Should Baseline Statistics Be Improved?.............................................................................26
Should Gender Be Included in Hate Crime Statistics?..........................................................27
Should Breakouts for Juveniles Be Included? ......................................................................27
Should Federal Training for Law Enforcement Be Improved and Increased? .......................27
Tables
Table 1. Eleven-Year Hate Crime Summary Table .....................................................................15
Contacts
Author Contact Information ......................................................................................................28
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Hate Crime Legislation
William J. Krouse, Specialist in Domestic Security and Crime Policy
July 24, 2009
http://opencrs.com/document/RL33403/2009-07-24/download/1013/
[full-text, 32 pages]
Summary
Current law defines hate crime as any crime against either person or property in which the
offender intentionally selects the victim because of the victim's actual or perceived race, color,
religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation. Hate crimes are not
separate and distinct offenses under current federal law. Rather, hate crimes are traditional crimes,
during which the offender is motivated by one or more biases that are considered to be
particularly reprehensible and damaging to society as a whole. Furthermore, federal jurisdiction
over hate crime is limited to certain civil rights offenses, which are considered to be "hate crimes"
when it is determined that the offender was motivated by a bias against race, color, religion,
national origin, and, in limited instances, disability.
Determining the definitive federal role in addressing hate crime has proven elusive, as reflected in
the legislative history and ongoing congressional debate. Legislation to widen federal jurisdiction
over hate crime was passed by the Senate in the 106th and 108th Congresses and by the House in
the 109th Congress. Opponents of hate crime legislation view creating separate federal offenses
for hate crime as redundant and largely symbolic, arguing that separate hate crime offenses would
be in addition to the legal prohibitions for traditional crime that already exist under either federal
or state law. They also contend that in most cases the federal nexus is tenuous, and that such
offenses are best handled at the state and local level. Proponents of creating a separate and
distinct federal offense for hate crime maintain that there is a fundamental difference between
ordinary crime and hate crime. They believe that hate crimes are often perpetrated to send a
message of threat and intimidation to a wider group, that the effects of hate crime extend beyond
the particular victim and reflect more pervasive patterns of discrimination on the basis of race,
color, religion, national origin, and other characteristics.
In the 110th Congress, Representative John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee,
introduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592). Passed by the
House on May 3, 2007, H.R. 1592 would have widened federal jurisdiction over hate crimes and
expanded the categories of protected persons to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Senator Edward Kennedy, a key sponsor and leading supporter of such legislation in previous
Congresses, introduced a similar bill (S. 1105), the language of which was successfully amended
to the Senate-passed FY2008 Defense Authorization bill (H.R. 1585) on September 27, 2007.
That language, however, was a point of contention in pre-conference negotiations on H.R. 1585
and was dropped from the conference agreement. In addition, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee
introduced the David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 254), and Representative
Carolyn Maloney, the Hate Crime Statistics Improvement Act (H.R. 1164).
In the 111th Congress, the House Judiciary Committee amended and ordered reported a hate
crimes bill (H.R. 1913) on April 23, 2009. The House passed H.R. 1913 on April 29, 2009.
Senator Reid, for Senator Kennedy, introduced the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
(S. 909) on April 28, 2009. Senator Leahy successfully amended the National Defense
Authorization Act (S. 1390) with language that is similar to S. 909 on July 16, 2009. The Senate
passed S. 1390, amended, on July 23, 2009. In addition, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee has
introduced three hate crime-related bills (H.R. 70, H.R. 256, and H.R. 262), and Representative
Maloney has introduced a hate crime statistics act (H.R. 823). At issue for Congress is whether
the prevalence and harmfulness of hate crimes warrant greater federal intervention to ensure that
such crimes are systematically addressed at all levels of government. Another related issue
Congress may choose to consider is the completeness and comprehensiveness of national hate
crime data. This report will be updated to reflect further legislative action.
Contents
Most Recent Developments.........................................................................................................1
Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1
Legislative Action in the 111th Congress ......................................................................................2
Legislative Action in the 110th Congress ......................................................................................3
Overview of the Hate Crime Debate............................................................................................5
Historical Evolution of Hate Crime Policy and Legislation..........................................................5
Early Civil Rights Movement................................................................................................6
Second Wave of Civil Rights Movements..............................................................................7
Anti-Hate Crime Movement ..................................................................................................7
ADL Model Legislation ..................................................................................................7
Establishing Baseline Hate Crime Statistics.....................................................................8
Gender ............................................................................................................................8
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity...........................................................................8
Hate Crime and Current Law.......................................................................................................9
Federal Civil Rights Statutes and Hate Crime ......................................................................10
Hate Crime Statistics Act .................................................................................................... 11
Hate Crime Sentencing Enhancements ................................................................................12
Violence Against Women Act ..............................................................................................12
Church Arson Prevention Act ..............................................................................................12
U.S. Armed Forces and Hate Crime Prevention ...................................................................13
Federal Hate Crime Funding ...............................................................................................13
Federal Grants for Hate Crime Prevention Education.....................................................13
VAWA Domestic and Sexual Abuse Programs ...............................................................13
State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance................................................................13
Federal Hate Crime Statistics ....................................................................................................14
FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and Hate Crime ...........................................................14
BJS Hate Crime Victimization Statistics ..............................................................................16
Reporting Hate Crime: Complications and Shortcomings ....................................................17
NBIRS Hate Crime Statistics and Juveniles .........................................................................19
Hate Crime Bills in the 111th Congress ......................................................................................19
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913)..........................20
Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909).......................................................21
Amendments to the FY2010 Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390).......................................21
Noose Hate Crime Act of 2009 (H.R. 70) ............................................................................22
David Ray Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 256) ..................................................22
David Ray Ritcheson Hate Crime Prevention Act (H.R. 262)...............................................22
Hate Crime Statistics Improvement Act of 2009 (H.R. 823).................................................22
Hate Crime Legislative Action the 110th Congress .....................................................................23
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1592)..........................23
Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act 2007 (S. 1105) ..................................................23
Amendments to the FY2008 Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1585)...................................24
Hate Crime Legislative Action in the 107th through 109th Congresses ........................................24
Possible Options and Issues for Congress ..................................................................................26
Should Federal Jurisdiction Be Broadened?.........................................................................26
Should Baseline Statistics Be Improved?.............................................................................26
Should Gender Be Included in Hate Crime Statistics?..........................................................27
Should Breakouts for Juveniles Be Included? ......................................................................27
Should Federal Training for Law Enforcement Be Improved and Increased? .......................27
Tables
Table 1. Eleven-Year Hate Crime Summary Table .....................................................................15
Contacts
Author Contact Information ......................................................................................................28
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 3:35 PM
