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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS HAILS SENATE PASSAGE OF FEDERAL HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION June 20, 2000 – New York, NY – The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) today applauded passage by the U.S. Senate of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, also known as the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The legislation was passed as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill. The Act serves two functions: it removes needless barriers to federal prosecution of hate crimes, and it extends protections of the law to individuals persecuted because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender or disability. In a statement released today, JCPA Chair Dr. Leonard A. Cole said: We applaud passage of hate crimes legislation this afternoon by the U.S. Senate. Sadly, in the eleven months since the last time the Senate took up this bill, the nation has witnessed continued hate crimes perpetrated against people because of their religion, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. The attack on a Jewish Community Center and murder of a Filipino postal worker in California last August, and the shooting rampage that left a Jewish woman and several others dead in Pittsburgh two months ago, remind us of the need to be relentless in our national struggle against hatred and intolerance. Though this legislation may not wholly thwart hate crimes, it sends a powerful message that crimes motivated by prejudice will not be tolerated in our society. Bias-motivated crimes committed against any individual hurt not only that person but also chip away at the very pillars of liberty, tolerance, and dignity that support American democracy. We urge the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s lead in passing this critical legislation.
### The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community and serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 122 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations |
