The Washington Times is reporting that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed two new hate crimes laws.

• The first "mak[es] housing discrimination against protected groups a civil rights violation. The law makes firing an employee who rents housing to a minority a violation. Using threats, coercion, intimidation or racial slurs to prevent someone from getting housing also is a hate crime."
• "The second bill extends hate crime legislation to using electronic communication to harass someone because of his or her race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, sex or sexual orientation or physical or mental disability."