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Hate Crimes Prevention Stalled
Abstract: How a bill approved by both houses of congress can falter.
You may remember that the Matthew Shepard Act and the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act were passed by the Senate and the House respectively. The legislation extended the definition of hate crime to include crimes based on sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability and would also allow federal authorities greater leeway to participate in hate crime investigations.
In working out the differences between the two versions of the legislation that were approved, the finished product was appended to a defense policy bill that would have authorized more money for the Iraq war.
Bundling the bills proved controversial, and congressional leaders, while still professing support for the expanded hate crimes legislation, ultimately withdrew it on December 6. (Read the Associated Press report from the International Herald Tribune.
And so a bill that passed both houses of Congress may never be sent to the President to be signed.
