The House overwhelmingly passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at strengthening federal efforts to address hate crimes directed at Asian-Americans, clearing the measure for President Biden’s signature.
The bill, approved in a 364-62 vote, is the first legislative action that Congress has taken to bolster law enforcement’s response to attacks on people of Asian descent amid an uptick in discrimination and violence against Asian-American communities during the pandemic.
“The Asian-American community is exhausted from being forced to endure this rise in bigotry and racist attacks,” said Representative Grace Meng, Democrat of New York. “Asian-Americans are tired of living in fear.”
The measure, led by Ms. Meng and Senator Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, would establish a position at the Justice Department to expedite the agency’s review of hate crimes and expand the channels to report them. It would also encourage the creation of state-run hate crime hotlines, provide grants to law enforcement agencies that train their officers to identify hate crimes and introduce a series of public education campaigns around bias against people of Asian descent.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/us/house-anti-asian-hate-crimes-biden.html
Comments