Hate Crime Bill Passes Senate -- "Disability" Included
WASHINGTON, DC, June 28, 2004 --The Senate has approved, by a vote of 65 to 33, the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, which among other things, expands federal hate crime protection to include disability, sexual orientation and gender. The bill, sponsored by Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and attached as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill, passed the Senate in mid-June.