The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

LLEEA Introduced in Congress

Feature Story by Becky Dansky - 3/27/2001

This afternoon, at a press conference on Capitol Hill, members of the United States Congress joined with representatives from MTV and the United Against Hate Coalition to announce the introduction of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA), formerly the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA).

The LLEEA will strengthen current federal hate crime legislation in two key ways. The LLEEA will remove the requirement that a hate crime be committed while the victim is participating in a federally protected activity in order to be covered by federal hate crime law. This will make it easier for the federal government to assist states and localities in handling hate crime violence. The LLEEA will also extend existing federal protections to cover hate crimes that occur because of an individual's gender, sexual orientation, or disability. The LLEEA will make possible a stronger and more effective law enforcement response to the epidemic of hate crime violence. The bill currently has 51 cosponsors in the Senate, and 180 in the House.

Speakers at the press conference articulated the urgent need for expanded hate crimes legislation. House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt opened the press conference saying "Today, a coalition of Republicans and Democrats speak with one voice by reintroducing hate crimes legislation to reassure all Americans that our society will not tolerate these horrible acts of violence. Hate crimes are among the most heinous, insidious acts we know, committed against people simply because of who they are...as a society we have an obligation to stand together and say that these crimes will not be tolerated."

MTV News Correspondent John Norris spoke as a representative of the network's "Fight For Your Rights!" anti-discrimination campaign, launched earlier this year in conjunction with several civil rights organizations. Norris described the resonance that the hate crimes issue has with young people, noting that a recent MTV survey of young adults found "nearly 90% believed that racial, sexual orientation, religious and gender discrimination is one of the most serious problems facing our country today."

John Norris presented one such young adult, 17 year-old Sara Ellzey of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, who spoke of her personal concerns regarding hate crimes. Speaking of a close friend who has been harrassed by other students after coming out as gay, Ellzey said, "if we don't change things, [he] could be just one step away from being beaten up or seriously hurt."

Representative John Conyers (D-MI) also spoke at the press conference, stressing the need for providing federal, state, and local governments with the tools necessary to fight hate crime violence. He noted the high level of bipartisan support for the LLEEA, saying, "There should be unanimous agreement that there will be 'zero-tolerance' for the hate. This bill takes the first step in doing so."

Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) stressed the importance of addressing hate crimes, noting that while violent crime decreased during the 1990s, hate crime rates have been rising. These crimes, he noted, have a "destructive and devastating impact not only on individual victims, but entire communities." Senator Kennedy called for making the fight against hate crimes a national priority, referring to hate crimes as "a national disgrace - an attack on everything this country stands for."

Senator Gordon Smith(R-OR) referred to the wide support for hate crimes legislation among the American people, and called on Congress to fulfill its duty "to protect and defend its citizens by reflecting our highest values, not by sheltering our lowest fears."

The speakers commended the American people for, in the words of Senator Smith, "listening with their hearts, not just their ears" in offering their support for hate crimes legislation. The speakers encouraged their representatives and colleagues in Congress to do the same by supporting passage of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act.