Gay Today: World

Action Alert:
Pass The Hate Crimes Prevention Act

Compiled By GayToday

Over the next 30 days, Congress will decide whether or not to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA)--and whether or not they do largely depends on you.

Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert has targeted October 29 as the adjournment date for this session of Congress, which means the next month will be incredibly busy--and a little chaotic--as individual members of Congress push for consideration of legislation important to them and their constituents.

In order for HCPA to be a part of that legislative rush, your Senators and Member of Congress need to know that their constituents want the historic legislation to become law. Take a moment to read the update below and TAKE ACTION.

HCPA Legislative Update

On July 22, in historic action, the Senate passed HCPA by attaching it as an amendment to the bill that funds the Commerce, State and Justice Departments (the C-J-S Appropriations bill).

Passage of HCPA is a top goal of Human Rights Campaign and the Senate action on the bill was the culmination of months of work by HRC, our allies on Capitol Hill, and our partners in the National Hate Crimes Coalition.

Because the House of Representatives did not include HCPA in its version of the C-J-S Appropriations bill, the action now moves to the House-Senate conference committee, which will hammer out a final bill for consideration by both chambers.

As the House and Senate conferees meet, we must do all we can to urge them to keep HCPA in the final bill.

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:
Congress: Hate Legislation Disinterest Blamed on Religious Right

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San Marin High School: Failure to Protect a Student?

Related Sites:
Human Rights Campaign

U.S. House

US Senate

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Take Action!

Following is a list of the members of Congress who will play a key role in the conference process:

House:

Dennis Hastert (IL 14), Speaker of the House
Henry Hyde (IL 06), Judiciary Committee Chair
Bill Young (FL 10)
Harold Rogers (KY 05)
David Obey (WI 07)
Ralph Regula (OH 16)

Senate

Trent Lott (MS), Majority Leader
Orrin Hatch (UT), Judiciary Committee Chair
Ted Stevens (AK)
Judd Gregg (NH)
Ernest F. Hollings (SC)

If your Senator or House member is on this list, it is imperative that you let him or her know that you support the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and that you want it to be included in the final C-J-S Appropriations bill.

But even if your Senator or House Member is not on this list, they need to hear from you. Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to his or her office.

The message is simple: "As your constituent, I ask that you support H.R. 1082/S. 622, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) of 1999, and work to ensure that it is passed before Congress adjourns this year."

For more details about the bill, the latest update, a sample letter, and to locate your Congressperson by ZIP code, please go to HRC's website at www.hrc.org/ and follow the link to HRC's Online Action Center.