Photo Courtesy of theday.com
On April 22nd, the Senate approved to pass an Anti-Asian hate crimes legislation to further expand the federal government’s “efforts to address the recent rise in these crimes.”-cbsnews.
This bill will help identify problems to the Justice Department who will then quickly review the hate crime incidents which then will be brought to the state and local entities that will result in making reporting these hate crimes easier. The legislation will also help expand public education campaigns which are designed to spread awareness and reach out to victims.
Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and New York Congresswoman Grace Meng introduced the legislation which cbsnews reported, “The Senate vote took place over a month after a mass shooting that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in the Atlanta area.”
After the bill passed, there was a press conference in which Senator Mazie Hirono and Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois attended, in which they both said the passage of the legislation sends a strong message to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community (AAPI). Senator Duckworth shares a personal experience in which his 80-year-old grandmother went to the grocery store and while attempting to buy grapes until she was hassled by a store clerk. Cbsnews reported, “This bill will allow me to go home and tell my mom, 'We did something about it,'" Duckworth said. "This [bill] tells the AAPI community we see you, and we will stand with you and we will protect you," Duckworth added.”
Photo Courtesy of nwaonline.com
President Joe Biden called on Congress to get this bill passed in March. While him and Vice President Kamala Harris were in a meeting with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus earlier this month, president Biden said that Vice President Harris felt according to cbsnews “heartened" by the overwhelmingly bipartisan vote to advance the legislation.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote that he had a message for the AAPI community and to the country that hate will not be tolerated. Cbsnews reported Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor, “This long overdue bill sends two messages. To our Asian American friends, we will not tolerate bigotry against you.” He continued to say, “And to those perpetrating anti-Asian bigotry, we will pursue you to the fullest extent of the law.”
CBS News reported “The Senate also voted on three Republican amendments to the bill, but they all failed. The bill will now head to the House for approval.”
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