National Women's Leader Applauds House Passage of Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2007, Urges Speedy Senate Passage

Statement of Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families

WASHINGTON, DC — May 3, 2007 — "As an organization concerned about women’s rights and equal opportunity for all Americans, we applaud today’s vote in the House of Representatives to pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act (LLEHCPA) of 2007.  We believe that this legislation would provide badly-needed tools to address and help deter gender-bias hate crimes.

The LLEHCPA would provide federal assistance where it is needed most when local authorities are unable or unwilling to prosecute violent crimes driven by the victim’s gender, gender identity or sexual orientation. The law would establish uniform protections against hate crimes motivated by gender bias. This legislation also would require the FBI to collect statistics on gender-based crimes a vital tool to help expose this type of violence.

This legislation sends a strong message that violent hate crimes fueled by gender bias are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We strongly urge the Senate to follow the example set by the House of Representatives today and promptly enact this important, bipartisan legislation."

The National Partnership for Women & Families is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, access to quality health care and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family.

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