The bill that would extend federal hate-crimes protections to LGBT individuals went through a series of ups and downs in the U. S. Senate in the past two weeks.
Last week, the Senate voted to add the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to a defense-spending bill. The U.S. House approved the hate-crimes bill in April, and if the Senate OKs the defense bill with the amendment, it will need to go to a joint House-Senate conference committee, where a final version needs to be approved before being sent to President Obama for his signature.
The Human Rights Campaign predicted that a final vote will not occur until September.
The bill would expand the 1969 hate-crimes law to include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and mental or physical disability; provide funding to local and state agencies to investigate hate crimes; remove the current stipulation that offenses must be committed while a victim is engaging in a federally protected activity; and provide the Justice Department greater jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
The Senate voted 63-28 to end debate on the hate-crimes measure and attach it to the Department of Defense reauthorization bill July 16.
This week, Sen. Jeffrey Sessions (R-Ala.) introduced a series of amendments in an apparent attempt to derail the bill.
Sessions’ amendments stipulate that the U.S. Attorney General identify and prosecute hate crimes on a “neutral and objective” basis; that those who commit a hate crime that results in death be eligible for the death penalty; and that hate-crimes protections be extended to military members and their families.
The Senate approved the first two measures in a voice vote and voted 92-0 in a roll call to approve the third amendment.
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) proposed a successful amendment that allows for stricter implementation of the death-penalty stipulation.
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, asserted that Sessions’ death-penalty amendment was designed to prevent the passage of the bill and called that tactic “disingenuous, outrageous and immoral.”
HRC president Joe Solmonese urged Congress to “eliminate these unwelcomed amendments” and focus on getting the bill to the president’s desk.
The Senate also voted this week to strip the proposed $1.75-billion additional funding for F-22 fighter jets. The House version of the defense bill contains the allocation of $369 million for such expenses.
The Office of Management and Budget released a statement last month saying the president’s advisors would recommend Obama veto the bill if it contains the $369-million allotment for the F-22 program.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs also said this week that “if that money is there, that bill will be vetoed.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].