Senate Bill will help protect victims of hate crimes

This morning the Senate passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (LLEHCPA). The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest and largest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, worked with a national coalition of over 200 civil rights, faith-based, law enforcement, and women’s groups working to ensure passage of this bill.

“Today the Senate sends a clear message that crimes motivated by hate will not be tolerated in America, and that such offenses will be prosecuted with vigor. As a nation dedicated to the ideals of equality and mutual understanding, we have a special responsibility to combat bigotry that takes the form of violence,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about the bill which passed with bipartisan support.

LLEHCPA will allow the federal government to assist states and local law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. Doing so will make communities safer for people of different backgrounds. The law extends hate crime legislation to those states where current laws are inadequate. [SALDEF Press Release]