The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

UPDATE: The LLEHCPA was voted out of committee (15-12) on April 23.

The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote today on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA).

The LLEHCPA will authorize the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes based on the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.  Currently, the federal government can only investigate hate crimes motivated by the victim's race, color, religion, and national origin.

It would also provide local authorities with more resources to combat hate crimes and give the federal government jurisdiction over prosecuting hate crimes in states where the current law is inadequate.

Hate crimes continue to be a problem in the U.S.  According to the most recent FBI data, crimes against Latinos increased for the fourth year in a row in 2007, and those against gays and lesbians increased by nearly six percent.  In addition, hate crimes against Jewish people and people who are Black or Asian/Pacific Islander also increased.

The LLEHCPA is supported by 26 state attorneys general and over 300 national law enforcement, professional, education, civil rights, religious, and civic organizations.