Washington, DC – The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) applauds the passage of H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007.  The following CAPAC members made the statements below.

Rep. Honda (CA-15): "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced a long history of hate crimes, from the 1880 lynching of Chinese in Denver’s Chinatown, to the brutal killing of Vincent Chin in 1982, to post-September 11 violence against Arabs, Sikhs, and Muslims, including the murder of Balbir Sigh Sodhi, and more recently, the killing of Cha Vang, a Hmong individual, in Wisconsin just this year," said Rep. Michael Honda (CA-15), Chair of CAPAC. "Hate crimes are under-reported and under-prosecuted. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act provides the resources necessary for all levels of government to investigate and prosecute hate crimes based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. Hate crimes are unique in that they are motivated by hostility toward an entire community, and are oftentimes rooted in a wider public sentiment of discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance. The passage of this Act is a step in the right direction in promoting tolerance in our integrated society."

Rep. Scott (VA-03): "Bias-based crimes are an unfortunate reality in our country. The Local Law Enforcement Prevention Act will go a long way in deterring future hate crimes and punishing those who commit these heinous acts," said Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Chair of CAPAC’s Civil Rights Task Force. "This bill is also carefully drawn to protect the First Amendment rights of the Freedom of Speech and the Freedom of Association."