Washington D.C., Apr 30, 2009 / 20:58 pm
By a vote of 249-175, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expand federal “hate crime” laws to include sexual orientation, gender identity, or mental or physical disability.
Current law limits federal jurisdiction over hate crimes to assaults based on race, color, religion or national origin.
President Barack Obama asked Congress to pass the Federal Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, saying it would “protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance.”
House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer argued that the crimes “terrorize entire segments of our population and tear at our nation's social fabric.”
Conviction of a hate crime causes additional punishment and would allow the federal government to help state and local authorities investigate “hate crimes,” the Associated Press reports.