Senate ties hate-crime expansion to defense bill

Democrats said the bill
battles terrorism at home.

WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — The Senate approved an expansion of federal hate-crimes law Thursday to include protections for gay men and lesbians, defying a presidential veto threat by attaching the measure to a high-priority defense bill.

Republicans said they would try to remove the provision in final negotiations with the House, but if that effort fails, GOP leaders urged President Bush to follow through with his long-standing veto threat. They were furious earlier this week when Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced he would force a vote on an expanded hate-crimes statute, with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, calling Reid’s maneuver a “shameful” attempt to “hijack” essential defense legislation.

Democrats argued that the amendment addresses terror of a different form. “The defense authorization is about dealing with the challenges of terrorism overseas,” said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. “This is about terrorism in our neighborhood.”

The amendment was written in honor of Matthew Shepherd, a young gay man who was beaten and left to die on a fence near Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. The proposal has passed the House or Senate several times over the years, but has never cleared the entire Congress.

How voting went

When Democrats won control of both chambers in November, advocates saw their best opportunity yet for strengthening a federal law that has existed since 1968 and focused on race, color, religion and national origin.

The Senate amendment was approved by voice vote, after Democrats broke a GOP filibuster by securing exactly the 60 votes needed, with 39 Republicans voting to block the measure from moving forward. An identical House bill passed 237-180 in May, with 25 Republicans supporting the measure, and 14 Democrats opposing it.

Under the Senate amendment, the definition of a hate crime would expand to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. Local law enforcement officials would be allowed to apply for federal grants to solve such crimes, and federal agents would be given broader authority to assist state and local police. Harsher federal sentencing guidelines also would be instituted.

Republicans counter the expansion represents an unnecessary federal government intrusion. “We believe that local — state and local law enforcement agencies are effectively using their laws to the full extent that they can,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.