Motion To Instruct Conferees On H.R. 2647, National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2010

Floor Speech

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s. BALDWIN. Thank you, Chairman Skelton.

I rise today in opposition to the minority's motion to instruct. As my colleagues know, hate crimes are acts of violence, motivated by hate and prejudice in which the victim is selected and targeted based upon a characteristic, such as their race, their religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Hate crimes have the consequence of harming not only their victims, but also all who share the same characteristics as the victim. Whole communities are terrorized by hate crimes.

In 1968 in response to horrific hate-based violence in our country, cross burnings, lynchings, fire bombings and the like, Congress acted to protect people who were targeted for violence on the basis of their race, color, religion, and national origin by passing our Nation's original hate crimes laws.

In April of this year, the House passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act of 2009 by a strong and bipartisan margin, strengthening our response to this form of domestic terrorism by adding protections for people targeted for violence because of their gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We sought to add these new categories to the hate crimes statutes because of a history and a pervasive pattern of heinous violent crimes committed against individuals because of these characteristics. Yet the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act of 2009 is not yet law, and this motion to instruct would prevent it from becoming law, despite the support of the majority of the House and the majority in the other body and President Obama.

Mr. Speaker, I want to share with you a few reasons why I believe this legislation must urgently be signed into law. I am thinking today of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender woman who was brutally murdered in Greeley, Colorado, last summer. Angie's killer beat her to death. Thankfully, Angie's killer was brought to justice under a State hate crimes law, but we know with staggering frequency, those who commit similar acts of violence and murder based on hate are not.

I think of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old in Oxnard, California. Larry had suffered harassment from his peers and then was killed by a 14-year-old classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender identity.

And I think today of Matthew Shepard who was brutally attacked by his homophobic assailants and left to die on a fence in Wyoming 10 years ago. Matthew's death generated international outrage by exposing the violent nature of hate crimes and the horrific effect upon targeted communities. And I think of the thousands of other victims of brutal hate crimes. The Department of Justice reported that over 1,500 Americans were victims of hate crimes based on sexual orientation in the year 2007.

Americans across the country, young and old alike, must hear Congress clearly affirm that hate-based violence targeting gays and lesbians and transgender individuals, women, and people with disabilities will not be tolerated.

Mr. Speaker, the arguments have been made, the evidence has been proffered, and, sadly, lives have been lost that more than justify this legislation becoming law. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this motion to instruct.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will note the gentleman from Missouri has 8 1/2 minutes remaining. The gentleman from Virginia has 14 minutes remaining.

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