Press

Contact: Blake Cornish
Federal Legislative Lawyer
bcornish@ngltf.org

A federal hate crimes law has passed the Senate twice, but the House Republican leadership has yet to permit a vote on this important legislation. We must not allow this Congress to adjourn without voting on and passing a strong, effective hate crimes law.

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act, renamed and improved as the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, passed the Senate by a surprisingly strong and bipartisan vote of 57 to 42. Thirteen Republican Senators joined all but one Democrat to pass the act. Now the House must act. We are embarking on a concerted effort to bring the hate crimes bill to a successful vote in the House.

What You Can Do:

Is your Representative a cosponsor of the House bill, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1082? If so, thank them and ask them to go to the House leadership and ask for a vote in the House on this important legislation. If not, ask them to cosponsor the bill. Do this immediately by letter, phone call, fax or e-mail. You can see a list of co-sponsors at http://www.ngltf.org/federal/hcsponsors.htm.

Did your Senator vote in favor of the Smith/Kennedy Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act? If so, thank them. A roll call of the vote can be seen at http://www.ngltf.org/federal/hcvotesen.htm.

Congress will recess for the month of August, and your member should be in their home district. Ask to meet with your representative while they are at home to talk with them about the need for a federal hate crimes law.

To contact Congress:

Letters receive the greatest attention in Congressional Offices. Letters can be addressed:

The Honorable (full name)
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

To phone, call the Switchboard at 202-225-3121 and ask for your representative.

To e-mail, go to http://www.ngltf.org/action/contact.htm or http://www.unitedagainsthate.org.–30–

The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.