Joyce Cosponsors Legislation to Combat Hate Crimes

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) announced he has once again cosponsored legislation to combat hate crimes in the United States: the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act of 2021. The bipartisan legislation, formally known as the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act, was introduced this afternoon by Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08), Fred Upton (MI-06), Judy Chu (CA-27), and Vern Buchanan (FL-16). Senators Richard Blumenthal (CT) and Jerry Moran (KS) will introduce the legislation in the Senate on Monday. Joyce was a cosponsor of the NO HATE Act in the 116th Congress.

In November of 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a report that showed hate crimes in the U.S. have risen to the highest level in more than a decade. The report also shows that federal officials recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting that data in the early 1990s. The FBI’s annual report defines hate crimes as those motivated by bias based on a person’s race, religion or sexual orientation, among other categories. Unfortunately, in 2019, only 2,172 law enforcement agencies out of about 15,000 participating agencies across the country reported hate crime data to the FBI.

“When it comes to eradicating hate in all its forms, actions speak louder than words,” said Joyce. “That’s why I co-sponsored the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act. This bipartisan legislation would take action to improve hate crime reporting, provide victims with support, prevent future hate crimes, and encourage entire communities to come together and heal from threats and violence motivated by bias. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill and will continue to work across the aisle and show the American people that there are those of us in Congress who recognize the dire need to put aside partisanship and help heal divisiveness in our nation.”

This bipartisan bill would establish various grants within the Department of Justice for states and units of local government to improve law enforcement activities to address hate crimes, including the submission of credible and complete hate crime reports, create grants for state-run hate crime hotlines, and allow judges to require community service or educational programming for individuals convicted under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Support the speedy implementation of the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). NIBRS allows law enforcement agencies to record and report detailed information about crimes, including hate crimes, to the FBI. The FBI has promoted NIBRS in every law enforcement agency, but a lack of resources has stalled full implementation.
• Provide grants for the creation of state-run hate crime hotlines to record information about hate crimes and redirect victims and witnesses to law enforcement and local support services as appropriate, ensuring that hate crimes don’t go unreported and victims get the help they need.
• Support law enforcement activities or programs that prevent, address, or respond to hate crimes by providing grants to states and local law enforcement to adopt policies, practices, and programs that more effectively identify, investigate, report, and respond to hate crimes.
• Create accountability by ensuring that law enforcement grantees report on their progress and requires the Attorney General to collect and analyze the information to better mitigate hate crimes.
• Promote understanding and healing by allowing judges to require individuals convicted under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 to undergo a period of supervised release, to include community service or education centered on the community targeted by the crime.

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