Posted on 09/15/2005 11:05:53 AM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
WASHINGTON -- Supporters of expanding hate crime law to include acts of violence against gays and lesbians scored a surprise win in the House, boosting their hopes on an issue repeatedly blocked in Congress.
With the help of 30 Republicans, House Democrats on Wednesday pushed through a measure that would add sexual orientation, gender and disability to protections covered by federal hate crime law. Under current law, the federal government assists local and state authorities prosecuting limited types of crimes based on the victim's race, religion or ethnic background.
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., offered the measure, which passed 223-199, as an amendment to legislation strengthening the monitoring of and increasing penalties for child sex offenders.
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, said it was an "incredibly historic vote" that could give momentum to similar action in the Senate.
"This legislation is long overdue," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. "All Americans have a fundamental right to feel safe in their communities."
The Senate last year voted to give gays and lesbians protection under federal hate crime law, but conservatives succeeded in blocking House agreement.
The sex offender bill, with the hate crimes measure, sailed through the House on a 371-52 vote, and now heads to the Senate.
The legislation strengthens sex offender registration and notification programs, creates a national Web site where the public can track sex offenders and establishes federal mandatory minimum sentences both for sex crimes and the failure of sex offenders to report on their whereabouts.
It requires felony offenders to register for life and authorizes the death penalty for sex crimes resulting in the killing of a child. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said it responds to a situation where law enforcement officials can't locate some 100,000 of about 550,000 convicted sex offenders.
The White House, in a statement, expressed support, saying that even though sex crimes against children have declined significantly in recent years, more needs to be done. It noted that the legislation codified the online National Sex Offender Public Registry that the Justice Department launched earlier this year.
Critics said it could further ostracize people who have paid for their crimes and are trying to live normal lives. Out-of-jail offenders facing harassment or unable to get jobs "may just go underground and not bother to register again," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.
Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., offered an amendment to eliminate several mandatory minimum sentences, including one creating a minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 20 years for offenders who fail to comply with registration requirements. It was defeated, 316-106.
Among the many amendments accepted was one by Sensenbrenner that would help local law officials find the estimated 15,000 sex offenders who may have relocated as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Another, by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., provides for the civil confinement of violent sex offenders deemed by a panel of experts as too dangerous to return to society.
The bill also:
-Creates a national Web site and requires states to notify the federal government of any changes to a sex offender's registration information. States are required to notify each other when a sex offender moves from one state to another.
-Requires each state to maintain a statewide Internet site to include such information as an offender's address, picture, vehicle and facts of his conviction.
-Broadens the category of sex offenders to include any felony or misdemeanor sex offenses against minors. The category of crimes covered by the bill is expanded to include juvenile sex offenses and possession of child pornography.
-Requires felony sex offenders to register for life, and misdemeanor sex offenders for 20 years.
-Creates a verification program under which a sex offender must report by mail every 30 days.
-Requires criminal background checks of prospective foster care families.
-Expands the use of DNA evidence to solve sex crimes.
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The bill is H.R. 3132
"If you are going to commit an act of violence against someone, you'd better make damn sure they are the same color as you!" - A judge on South Park.
...and the same sex, religion, sexual orientation, income bracket, hair color, height, weight, shoe size.
I agree with Nancy. It's terrible that it's perfectly legal to murder, batter, and assault homos in this country.
</sarcasm>
Whenever the boot-lickers who blindly support the GOP tries to bash the Libertarian Party with the usual ad hominem attacks about how the LP only cares about porn and the "rights" of gays, I'm going to always link this thread.
So much for the Equal Protection Clause.
All hate crimes laws should be abolished.
ping to self.
What is the difference between two black guys beating hell out of a white guy and two white guys beating hell out of a black guy.
The two white guys are guilty of a hate crime .
Also the White guy who got hell beat out of him by the two black guys may be guilty of a hate crime too, if they skinned their knuckles on him.
Hate crimes are so much BS and Nancy Pelosi is a suck-butt politician .
ping to self.
try not to act like you hate the person your going to beat the hell out of
Speech denouncing homosexualilty will soon be criminalized just as it is in much of Europe and in Canada.
Republican dominated congress spends money as fast or faster than the lefists.
Republican dominated congress passes CFR despite its blatant unconstitionality.
Republican dominated congress enacts some of the largest entitlement programs in history.
Republican dominated government refuses to act to protect our borders or even to insist on enforcement of existing immigration laws.
Republican dominated government intrudes into the public education system and expands federal influence on national education to unprecedented degree. In the meantime children continue to be taught that US history is mainly about oppressing minorities and exploiting the planet while NOT learning to read, write or use numbers. A recent survey found that a significant percentage of Americans believe the sun revolves around the earth.
Republican dominated government promises to increase security and to protect Americans. It spends billions and creates an enormous bureaucracy devoted to this. And four years later the result is the fiasco in the gulf states.
A republican president signed off on all this and will apparently sign off on this latest thing (the bill covers more stringent penalties for sex offenders - a nice touch as it makes it easy to tack on idiotic amendments and then attack opponents of these as soft on child molesters).
On the other hand Republicans are still (mostly) pro-life. And they tend to resist tax hikes (not a lot of tax cutting going on these days) except in places like Ohio.
agreed.
"try not to act like you hate the person your going to beat the hell out of"
Continuously saying, "This is for your own good" or "This hurts me more than it does you", or even "I love you, man!" while pummeling your victim should do the trick.
"Is speech denouncing black people criminalized, even though they are protected under the hate crimes laws and under numerous discrimination protections?"
It may not be technically illegal but it can, and will, ruin a person. Besides, what does a particular deviant behavior have to do with an entire race?
So, if a criminal assaults you, pretend to be queer so his punishment is increased.
"Free speech is protected and the Supreme Court will strike down any law that violates that."
Are you sure about that?
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