The publication is reproduced in full below:
COVID-19 HATE CRIMES ACT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 937) to facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 937
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Following the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, there has been a dramatic increase in hate crimes and violence against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
(2) According to a recent report, there were nearly 3,800 reported cases of anti-Asian discrimination and incidents related to COVID-19 between March 19, 2020, and February 28, 2021, in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.
(3) During this time frame, race has been cited as the primary reason for discrimination, making up over 90 percent of incidents, and the United States condemns and denounces any and all anti-Asian and Pacific Islander sentiment in any form.
(4) Roughly 36 percent of these incidents took place at a business and more than 2,000,000 Asian-American businesses have contributed to the diverse fabric of American life.
(5) More than 1,900,000 Asian-American and Pacific Islander older adults, particularly those older adults who are recent immigrants or have limited English proficiency, may face even greater challenges in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, including discrimination, economic insecurity, and language isolation.
(6) In the midst of this alarming surge in anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents, a shooter murdered the following 8 people in the Atlanta, Georgia region, 7 of whom were women and 6 of whom were women of Asian descent:
(A) Xiaojie Tan.
(B) Daoyou Feng.
(C) Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez.
(D) Paul Andre Michels.
(E) Soon Chung Park.
(F) Hyun Jung Grant.
(G) Suncha Kim.
(H) Yong Ae Yue.
(7) The people of the United States will always remember the victims of these shootings and stand in solidarity with those affected by this senseless tragedy and incidents of hate that have affected the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
SEC. 3. REVIEW OF HATE CRIMES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 7 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall designate an officer or employee of the Department of Justice whose responsibility during the applicable period shall be to facilitate the expedited review of hate crimes (as described in section 249 of title 18, United States Code) and reports of any such crime to Federal, State, local, or Tribal law enforcement agencies.
(b) Applicable Period Defined.--In this section, the term
``applicable period'' means the period beginning on the date on which the officer or employee is designated under subsection (a), and ending on the date that is 1 year after the date on which the emergency period described in subparagraph (B) of section 1135(g)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1)) ends, except that the Attorney General may extend such period as appropriate.
SEC. 4. GUIDANCE.
(a) Guidance for Law Enforcement Agencies.--The Attorney General shall issue guidance for State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies, pursuant to this Act and other applicable law, on how to--
(1) establish online reporting of hate crimes or incidents, and to have online reporting that is equally effective for people with disabilities as for people without disabilities available in multiple languages as determined by the Attorney General;
(2) collect data disaggregated by the protected characteristics described in section 249 of title 18, United States Code; and
(3) expand public education campaigns aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes and reaching victims, that are equally effective for people with disabilities as for people without disabilities.
(b) Guidance Relating to COVID-19 Pandemic.--The Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and community-based organizations, shall issue guidance aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEC. 5. JABARA-HEYER NO HATE ACT.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act of 2021'' or the
``Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The incidence of violence known as hate crimes, or crimes motivated by bias, poses a serious national problem.
(2) According to data obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the incidence of such violence increased in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available.
(3) In 1990, Congress enacted the Hate Crime Statistics Act
(Public Law 101-275; 28 U.S.C. 534 note) to provide the Federal Government, law enforcement agencies, and the public with data regarding the incidence of hate crime. The Hate Crime Statistics Act and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (division E of Public Law 111-84; 123 Stat. 2835) have enabled Federal authorities to understand and, where appropriate, investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
(4) A more complete understanding of the national problem posed by hate crime is in the public interest and supports the Federal interest in eradicating bias-motivated violence referenced in section 249(b)(1)(C) of title 18, United States Code.
(5) However, a complete understanding of the national problem posed by hate crimes is hindered by incomplete data from Federal, State, and local jurisdictions through the Uniform Crime Reports program authorized under section 534 of title 28, United States Code, and administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(6) Multiple factors contribute to the provision of inaccurate and incomplete data regarding the incidence of hate crime through the Uniform Crime Reports program. A significant contributing factor is the quality and quantity of training that State and local law enforcement agencies receive on the identification and reporting of suspected bias-motivated crimes.
(7) The problem of crimes motivated by bias is sufficiently serious, widespread, and interstate in nature as to warrant Federal financial assistance to States and local jurisdictions.
(8) Federal financial assistance with regard to certain violent crimes motivated by bias enables Federal, State, and local authorities to work together as partners in the investigation and prosecution of such crimes.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Hate crime.--The term ``hate crime'' means an act described in section 245, 247, or 249 of title 18, United States Code, or in section 901 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3631).
(2) Priority agency.--The term ``priority agency'' means--
(A) a law enforcement agency of a unit of local government that serves a population of not less than 100,000, as computed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or
(B) a law enforcement agency of a unit of local government that--
(i) serves a population of not less than 50,000 and less than 100,000, as computed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and
(ii) has reported no hate crimes through the Uniform Crime Reports program in each of the 3 most recent calendar years for which such data is available.
(3) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given the term in section 901 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251).
(4) Uniform crime reports.--The term ``Uniform Crime Reports'' means the reports authorized under section 534 of title 28, United States Code, and administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that compile nationwide criminal statistics for use--
(A) in law enforcement administration, operation, and management; and
(B) to assess the nature and type of crime in the United States.
(5) Unit of local government.--The term ``unit of local government'' has the meaning given the term in section 901 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251).
(d) Reporting of Hate Crimes.--
(1) Implementation grants.--
(A) In general.--The Attorney General may make grants to States and units of local government to assist the State or unit of local government in implementing the National Incident-Based Reporting System, including to train employees in identifying and classifying hate crimes in the National Incident-Based Reporting System.
(B) Priority.--In making grants under subparagraph (A), the Attorney General shall give priority to States and units of local government that develop and implement the programs and activities described in subsection (f)(2)(A).
(2) Reporting.--
(A) Compliance.--
(i) In general.--Except as provided in clause (ii), in each fiscal year beginning after the date that is 3 years after the date on which a State or unit of local government first receives a grant under paragraph (1), the State or unit of local government shall provide to the Attorney General, through the Uniform Crime Reporting system, information pertaining to hate crimes committed in that jurisdiction during the preceding fiscal year.
(ii) Extensions; waiver.--The Attorney General--
(I) may provide a 120-day extension to a State or unit of local government that is making good faith efforts to comply with clause (i); and
(II) shall waive the requirements of clause (i) if compliance with that subparagraph by a State or unit of local government would be unconstitutional under the constitution of the State or of the State in which the unit of local government is located, respectively.
(B) Failure to comply.--If a State or unit of local government that receives a grant under paragraph (1) fails to substantially comply with subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, the State or unit of local government shall repay the grant in full, plus reasonable interest and penalty charges allowable by law or established by the Attorney General.
(e) Grants for State-run Hate Crime Hotlines.--
(1) Grants authorized.--
(A) In general.--The Attorney General shall make grants to States to create State-run hate crime reporting hotlines.
(B) Grant period.--A grant made under subparagraph (A) shall be for a period of not more than 5 years.
(2) Hotline requirements.--A State shall ensure, with respect to a hotline funded by a grant under paragraph (1), that--
(A) the hotline directs individuals to--
(i) law enforcement if appropriate; and
(ii) local support services;
(B) any personally identifiable information that an individual provides to an agency of the State through the hotline is not directly or indirectly disclosed, without the consent of the individual, to--
(i) any other agency of that State;
(ii) any other State;
(iii) the Federal Government; or
(iv) any other person or entity;
(C) the staff members who operate the hotline are trained to be knowledgeable about--
(i) applicable Federal, State, and local hate crime laws; and
(ii) local law enforcement resources and applicable local support services; and
(D) the hotline is accessible to--
(i) individuals with limited English proficiency, where appropriate; and
(ii) individuals with disabilities.
(3) Best practices.--The Attorney General shall issue guidance to States on best practices for implementing the requirements of paragraph (2).
(f) Information Collection by States and Units of Local Government.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means--
(i) a State law enforcement agency; and
(ii) a priority agency.
(B) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(i) a State; or
(ii) a unit of local government that has a priority agency.
(2) Grants.--
(A) In general.--The Attorney General may make grants to eligible entities to assist covered agencies within the jurisdiction of the eligible entity in conducting law enforcement activities or crime reduction programs to prevent, address, or otherwise respond to hate crime, particularly as those activities or programs relate to reporting hate crimes through the Uniform Crime Reports program, including--
(i) adopting a policy on identifying, investigating, and reporting hate crimes;
(ii) developing a standardized system of collecting, analyzing, and reporting the incidence of hate crime;
(iii) establishing a unit specialized in identifying, investigating, and reporting hate crimes;
(iv) engaging in community relations functions related to hate crime prevention and education such as--
(I) establishing a liaison with formal community-based organizations or leaders; and
(II) conducting public meetings or educational forums on the impact of hate crimes, services available to hate crime victims, and the relevant Federal, State, and local laws pertaining to hate crimes; and
(v) providing hate crime trainings for agency personnel.
(B) Subgrants.--A State that receives a grant under subparagraph (A) may award a subgrant to a unit of local government within the State for the purposes under that subparagraph, except that a unit of local government may provide funding from such a subgrant to any law enforcement agency of the unit of local government.
(3) Information required of states and units of local government.--
(A) In general.--For each fiscal year in which a State or unit of local government receives a grant or subgrant under paragraph (2), the State or unit of local government shall--
(i) collect information from each law enforcement agency that receives funding from the grant or subgrant summarizing the law enforcement activities or crime reduction programs conducted by the agency to prevent, address, or otherwise respond to hate crime, particularly as those activities or programs relate to reporting hate crimes through the Uniform Crime Reports program; and
(ii) submit to the Attorney General a report containing the information collected under clause (i).
(B) Semiannual law enforcement agency report.--
(i) In general.--In collecting the information required under subparagraph (A)(i), a State or unit of local government shall require each law enforcement agency that receives funding from a grant or subgrant awarded to the State or unit of local government under paragraph (2) to submit a semiannual report to the State or unit of local government that includes a summary of the law enforcement activities or crime reduction programs conducted by the agency during the reporting period to prevent, address, or otherwise respond to hate crime, particularly as those activities or programs relate to reporting hate crimes through the Uniform Crime Reports program.
(ii) Contents.--In a report submitted under clause (i), a law enforcement agency shall, at a minimum, disclose--
(I) whether the agency has adopted a policy on identifying, investigating, and reporting hate crimes;
(II) whether the agency has developed a standardized system of collecting, analyzing, and reporting the incidence of hate crime;
(III) whether the agency has established a unit specialized in identifying, investigating, and reporting hate crimes;
(IV) whether the agency engages in community relations functions related to hate crime, such as--
(aa) establishing a liaison with formal community-based organizations or leaders; and
(bb) conducting public meetings or educational forums on the impact of hate crime, services available to hate crime victims, and the relevant Federal, State, and local laws pertaining to hate crime; and
(V) the number of hate crime trainings for agency personnel, including the duration of the trainings, conducted by the agency during the reporting period.
(4) Compliance and redirection of funds.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), beginning not later than 1 year after the date of this Act, a State or unit of local government receiving a grant or subgrant under paragraph (2) shall comply with paragraph (3).
(B) Extensions; waiver.--The Attorney General--
(i) may provide a 120-day extension to a State or unit of local government that is making good faith efforts to collect the information required under paragraph (3); and
(ii) shall waive the requirements of paragraph (3) for a State or unit of local government if compliance with that subsection by the State or unit of local government would be unconstitutional under the constitution of the State or of the State in which the unit of local government is located, respectively.
(g) Requirements of the Attorney General.--
(1) Information collection and analysis; report.--In order to improve the accuracy of data regarding the incidence of hate crime provided through the Uniform Crime Reports program, and promote a more complete understanding of the national problem posed by hate crime, the Attorney General shall--
(A) collect and analyze the information provided by States and units of local government under subsection (f) for the purpose of developing policies related to the provision of accurate data obtained under the Hate Crime Statistics Act
(Public Law 101-275; 28 U.S.C. 534 note) by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and
(B) for each calendar year beginning after the date of enactment of this Act, publish and submit to Congress a report based on the information collected and analyzed under subparagraph (A).
(2) Contents of report.--A report submitted under paragraph
(1) shall include--
(A) a qualitative analysis of the relationship between--
(i) the number of hate crimes reported by State law enforcement agencies or other law enforcement agencies that received funding from a grant or subgrant awarded under paragraph (2) through the Uniform Crime Reports program; and
(ii) the nature and extent of law enforcement activities or crime reduction programs conducted by those agencies to prevent, address, or otherwise respond to hate crime; and
(B) a quantitative analysis of the number of State law enforcement agencies and other law enforcement agencies that received funding from a grant or subgrant awarded under paragraph (2) that have--
(i) adopted a policy on identifying, investigating, and reporting hate crimes;
(ii) developed a standardized system of collecting, analyzing, and reporting the incidence of hate crime;
(iii) established a unit specialized in identifying, investigating, and reporting hate crimes;
(iv) engaged in community relations functions related to hate crime, such as--
(I) establishing a liaison with formal community-based organizations or leaders; and
(II) conducting public meetings or educational forums on the impact of hate crime, services available to hate crime victims, and the relevant Federal, State, and local laws pertaining to hate crime; and
(v) conducted hate crime trainings for agency personnel during the reporting period, including--
(I) the total number of trainings conducted by each agency; and
(II) the duration of the trainings described in subclause
(I).
(h) Alternative Sentencing.--Section 249 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Supervised Release.--If a court includes, as a part of a sentence of imprisonment imposed for a violation of subsection (a), a requirement that the defendant be placed on a term of supervised release after imprisonment under section 3583, the court may order, as an explicit condition of supervised release, that the defendant undertake educational classes or community service directly related to the community harmed by the defendant's offense.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 937.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.
Madam Speaker, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act is important and timely legislation to address the disturbing rise in violence directed at Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among other things, this legislation would help DOJ expedite review of reported cases of hate crimes during the pandemic and provide guidance to State and local law enforcement agencies for collecting better and more accurate data.
It also incorporates the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, which includes measures to encourage the adoption and implementation of the National Incident-Based Reporting System to facilitate the reporting of hate crimes by local police departments to the FBI.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken almost 600,000 lives in the U.S. It has also, unfortunately, deepened existing divisions in our country. Racist, hateful rhetoric blaming the pandemic on Asian Americans fanned the flames of discord and resulted in a disgraceful, sickening, and ongoing spate of violence and discrimination against Asian people across our country.
Stop AAPI Hate has collected reports of over 6,000 anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents since the pandemic began in March 2020. Just this month, they released four more heartbreaking attacks on Asian Americans in New York City alone. These cases are, unfortunately, part of a broader and deeply troubling uptick in hate crimes generally since 2015, with a surge in such crimes in 2019.
This legislation addresses this disturbing trend by helping policymakers determine where critical resources should be focused, identifying trends that can be interrupted, and directing public education campaigns.
I thank my good friends, Congresswoman Grace Meng and Senator Mazie Hirono, for championing this bill; Congressman Don Beyer and Senator Richard Blumenthal for their leadership on the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act; Chairman Steve Cohen, for holding an important hearing in his subcommittee on hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans; and Congresswoman Judy Chu, you, Madam Speaker, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, for your tireless advocacy for the AAPI community.
The Senate passed this bill almost unanimously. I urge my colleagues to do so as well.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
We all condemn violence against people based on their race. In America, no one should live in fear that they will be a victim of a crime based on their beliefs, the color of their skin, or the country in which they were born.
We have seen reports of violence directed at Asian Americans increase recently in some places around our country. While the perpetrators of these violent acts must be held accountable, we have serious concerns about some aspects of this legislation and the process behind moving it forward.
For instance, the legislation sets up ambiguous hotlines for people to report anything they find troubling. These hotlines are separate from traditional law enforcement reporting mechanisms, such as calling 911 or your local police department's nonemergency line, and they could enable anyone to report anything that that individual may find offensive.
All crimes should be reported, investigated by law enforcement, and prosecuted. Telling the public that criminal complaints shouldn't be reported to law enforcement but, instead, to a new unrelated State office creates unnecessary confusion and could harm public safety.
In addition, this bill establishes online reporting for complaints about ``incidents,'' but, of course, the bill doesn't specify what an incident is; no definition at all. This means, essentially, that we are asking State governments to act as speech police, and creates a precedent that could extend to any manner of things someone may deem offensive.
We were hopeful that there could be a meaningful discussion and input on this bill, but the chairman pulled the bill from our scheduled markup in the Judiciary Committee last month, preventing Republicans from offering any amendments. Republicans had a number of amendments that would have ensured that the reporting hotlines were focused on actual criminal conduct and not random citizen complaints.
Finally, it is important to note that the Democrats have attempted to blame President Trump for this rise in violence against Asian Americans, but the facts tell an entirely different story. This violence, by and large, is happening in Democrat-controlled cities, many of which, interestingly enough, have defunded their police departments.
For example, New York City saw a 223 percent increase in reported Asian-American hate crimes, while defunding their police over $1 billion. San Francisco saw a 140 percent increase in reported Asian-
American hate crimes, while defunding their police by $120 million. Los Angeles, 80 percent increase in reported anti-Asian hate crime, while defunding their police $175 million.
One report found that nearly 60 percent of the reported hate crime incidents from March of 2020 to February of 2021, the past year, were from these two States, California and New York.
It sort of begs the obvious question. Maybe if we weren't defunding the police, if these Democrat-controlled cities weren't defunding the police, we would not have the rise in incidents and the rise in hate crime for Asian Americans. If money wasn't taken from police and they were allowed to do their jobs, we would probably be in an entirely different position.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng).
Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, for over a year, against the backdrop of a raging COVID-19 virus and an economic crisis, Asian Americans have been fighting an additional pandemic: the virus of hate and bigotry.
Over 6,600 incidents of physical, verbal, and online attacks against those of Asian descent have been reported since March 2020. Of these, about two-thirds were reported by women.
Throughout this pandemic, over 2 million Asian Americans served our Nation as frontline workers, including those in healthcare, and yet some of these same Asian Americans became victims of hate as they were commuting to or from work.
Children as young as my two boys have been attacked on playgrounds in their own neighborhoods across the country in every single State. Elderly are being assaulted, tragically resulting in deaths. This culminated in the worst kind of tragedy, with the mass shootings in Atlanta.
We need to address this hate once and for all. That is why I introduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. I am proud the Senate companion bill, led by Senator Hirono, passed in the Senate last month with resounding bipartisan support, 94-1.
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act is a necessary step to confront the second pandemic of racism and discrimination. We cannot mend what we do not measure.
I strongly urge my colleagues to stand with me and vote for the passage of this bill.
Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).
Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, as one of the first Korean-
American women to serve in Congress, I am proud to rise today in solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander community and in strong support of the Senate-amended, bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, S. 937. I also note the concerns raised by my colleague, Mr. Jordan.
As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month throughout the month of May, it cannot be ignored that the hate and bias targeting the AAPI community are on the rise. Hate against any ethnic group is unacceptable. This is not who we are as Americans, and it is not reflective of the country that welcomed me and my family into its fabric.
That is why I am glad Congress is coming together in a bipartisan way to take steps against the hate targeting communities like the AAPI community. However, let's also recognize that we cannot legislate hate out of people's hearts and minds. We must treat each other with respect and see each other as Americans. I will continue to do my part, and I will always stand in solidarity with my AAPI community.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline.)
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, thank you to my colleague, Congresswoman Meng, for her tireless efforts in combating hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic and championing this legislation. Thank you, Madam Speaker, for your extraordinary leadership as well.
In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only been a significant threat to public health; in some instances, it has brought out the worst impulses in people. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a spike in hate crimes and acts of hate against Asian Americans, with thousands of reported hate incidents across this country. Asian Americans have been verbally accosted and frequently told to go back where they came from. Countless Asian Americans have been pushed to the ground, shoved, punched, beaten, and struck with weapons all across our country. We are still mourning the eight victims shot in an Atlanta spa in March, six of whom were of Asian descent.
Asian Americans are being scapegoated for the ongoing health crisis. It is disgraceful, and we must act.
By passing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, we are sending a message that hatred and bigotry have no place in the United States of America.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
{time} 1415
Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy), and I ask unanimous consent that he be permitted to control the balance of the Republican time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Steel).
Mrs. STEEL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I rise today to condemn the discrimination and violence that our Asian-American and Pacific Islander community has experienced.
Between March and December of last year, nearly 4,000 firsthand accounts of anti-AAPI hate crimes were recorded in the United States. It is heartbreaking to read the news stories of these crimes, and my heart goes out to all those who have been victims of this violence.
I have experienced this type of discrimination and racism firsthand. I have been called racist slurs and been treated differently because I am an Asian American.
As a proud American and someone who loves this country dearly, I take this rise in violence against our Asian community very seriously.
That is why, in February, the very first bill I introduced was a bipartisan resolution to condemn these crimes and encourage better coordination between State, local, and Federal governments to track hate against the AAPI community.
Combating hate is a nonpartisan issue, and I am proud that my resolution gained bipartisan support. I am very disappointed that my bipartisan bill was not part of this week's conversation and that we haven't had the opportunity to vote on it yet.
Despite my history of work on this and my personal experience, no one in the majority sought out my partnership or input on the anti-Asian hate bills before us today.
I would have welcomed the opportunity for partnership, and I would have thought that my colleagues would seek input from one of only two Republican Asian-American women in the House. Our voices matter in this discussion.
I am proud to be standing here today to condemn these violent acts and support my community.
While I disagree with my Democratic colleagues on many things, this is one area where we can find common ground. That is what bipartisanship is, disagreeing with someone but finding issues where there is an opportunity to work together for the good of the country.
I will continue to work on behalf of our AAPI community in Congress and condemn hate in all forms because this is not a partisan issue. We are all Americans.
I hope that, moving forward, we have an opportunity to hear from more AAPI voices and that we work together to put an end to hate.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, we are here today for Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Hyun Jung Grant, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Amarjeet Kaur Johal, Jasvinder Kaur, Jaswinder Singh, Amarjit Sekhon, and too many others.
This bill is an important step to address and prevent hate crimes as we deal with the root causes of hate and violence. That means providing basic economic security, including housing, social services, education, and healthcare.
A ``yes'' vote says that we won't stand by as our children are bullied on playgrounds and our elders are beaten in the streets.
A ``yes'' vote says to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders--
Chinese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Pakistani, Japanese, Filipino, Native Hawaiian, Laotian, Hmong, Cambodian, Burmese, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Sri Lankan, Tongan, Malaysian, Mongolian, Taiwanese, Fijian, Singaporean, Chamorro, Nepalese, Samoan, Bruneian, Afghani, Micronesian, and Marshallese--that we are visible and that we matter.
We, too, are America.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, how much time is remaining on each side?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 12\1/2\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from New York has 14 minutes remaining.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I also thank you for your leadership. I thank Congresswoman Meng for her power and passion and the hurt that we saw as she proceeded to say something has to be done. I thank Senator Hirono, the bipartisan supporters, and the Tri-Caucus that was led to believe that we had to stand together as those who have been impacted by hate. I thank Mr. Beyer for his initiative, bipartisanship, and for reporting hate.
It is important to note that there were nearly 3,800 reported cases of anti-Asian discrimination and incidents related to COVID-19 between March 19, 2020, and February 28, 2021. During that time, race had been cited as a factor, and then the worst among many, seniors being beat brutally to the ground, dying, injured, and hurt for life.
Then, in Atlanta, the unspeakable occurred for seven women, six of whom were of Asian descent.
It is time for this House, in a bipartisan manner, as in the Senate with over 90 supporting it in its final passage, it is time for us to raise our voices emotionally and make a commitment, no matter what color we are, as we see people of our color attacking Asian Americans, we should stand and be heard. No hate crime should be allowed to stand. We, of course, have seen that all over.
I ask my colleagues to rise to support S. 937 and the Beyer bill because no hate crime should be allowed to stand in America.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this important and timely bill to address the urgent issue of hate crimes.
For the past year, I have expressed great concern about the increase in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. It is outrageous. Madam Speaker, many of us awoke in March to the horrific news that in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, a 21-year old angry white man murdered 8 persons at three Asian massage spas.
Among the innocent victims were 6 young Asian American women who worked in the establishments.
The suspected perpetrator of these brutal crimes has been arrested and charged with 8 counts of murder.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, the killer is reported to have told police that he has an issue, what he considers a ``sex addiction,'' and ``sees these [Asian massage spa] locations as something that allows him to go to these places'' and ``it is a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate.''
Madam Speaker, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, there has been a significant increase in harassment and violence against the Asian American community.
Unfortunately, this is not new; there is a long history of racism again Asian Americans, especially during times of social and economic unrest.
Throughout American history, Asian Americans are often blamed for the emergence of pandemics and diseases, even if the sickness originated far outside the Asian American community.
The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception, as American citizens, and residents of actual or perceived Chinese descent, have received intense and unjust scrutiny, violence, and harassment as perpetrators associate them with the cause of the pandemic and resulting social and economic turmoil.
And the racist practice of the 45th President of always referring to the coronavirus as the ``China Virus,'' or ``Kung Flu'' certainly contributed to, and inflamed, an already dangerous climate for persons of Asian descent.
Examples of additional violent physical assaults against the Asian American community over the last year include:
A sixteen-year-old boy was sent to the emergency room after being physically attacked at his high school by an assailant who claimed the boy had COVID-19 simply because he was Asian.
An 81-year-old woman was punched in the face and lit on fire outside her home.
A woman was kicked, punched, and hit with an umbrella in a subway station in New York.
A man and his ten-year-old son were followed to a bus station by a man who was yelling and cursing at them before eventually hitting the man over the head.
A 61-year-old man was slashed across the face with a boxcutter on the subway in New York City. His injuries required him to receive nearly 100 stitches.
A woman was doused in a caustic chemical as she took out the trash, resulting in chemical burns on her face, neck, and back.
A 52-year-old woman was shoved to the ground and hit her head on a metal newspaper stand.
A 51-year-old man was beaten with his own cane at a bus stop. His injuries were so severe, he lost part of a finger.
In my hometown of Houston, Texas, we know all too well the fear, horror, and heartbreak inflicted on members of vulnerable and marginalized communities when they are targeted by hate crime violence.
Madam Speaker, hate crimes are among the worst atrocities that exist in modern day society.
A hate crime is defined as the incidence of violence motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, relation, sexual orientation, gender, and disability of the victim.
Unfortunately, hate crimes are underreported for several reasons, including fear and intimidation.
The Department of Justice must better focus its resources on prosecuting these hate crimes, and this bill is needed to help expedite investigations of these offenses during the pandemic.
The bill also will provide greater support for prevention and community relations programs related to hate crimes, as well as improve data collection.
We need to stand together to send a clear message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.
We also need to stand in solidarity with the victims and communities impacted by these terrible crimes.
I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, so that we can send it to the President's desk without delay.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I thank my most capable and socially aware counsel to my subcommittee, the Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, who brought this issue to my attention long before the tragedy in Atlanta, the attacks that have been launched upon people of Asian-American descent in New York, California, and other places in this Nation.
We held a hearing after the awful attacks in Atlanta, but it was because of the earlier attacks and the fact that attacks on any Americans because of their racial or national background is totally improper and wrong. Religion, race, national origin should not be a basis for any discrimination.
I am pleased that these bills are being offered, that they are going to pass this House, and that, hopefully, they will pass the Senate. The reportage will be better, enforcement will be better, and maybe we will see an end to this intolerance.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).
Mrs. McBATH. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
The past year has been one of the most difficult periods in our Nation's history. And for some of our fellow Americans, the pandemic has also resulted in an alarming uptick in racially based hate crimes.
Racism, bigotry, and discrimination have no place in our communities. We must do our part to help stop all forms of violence here in America and all over the world. And I will continue to fight to help keep all families in America safe.
That is why I was proud to cosponsor this legislation, which will facilitate the expedited review of hate crimes and strengthen hate crimes reporting.
We still have a long way to go to ensure that those who commit these crimes of hate are held accountable, and we must do better at all levels of government to protect the most vulnerable among us.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, nobody in this Chamber believes that there isn't work to do in the area of ensuring that crimes are not committed against any American but, in particular, due to their race, their color, their national origin, or anything about who they are.
Many on this side of the aisle, including the gentlewoman who spoke before from California, raised concern about the sort of nature of this legislation and a lot of the concerns that have been raised about its continued focus on hate crimes in many ways at the expense of our focusing on crime, crime itself.
In the findings in this piece of legislation, of course, we reference the terrible tragedy that unfolded in Atlanta, Georgia, and much of that was a rush to be included in the form of hate crimes when the facts being borne out in the investigation among prosecutors and the investigators in Georgia are indicating that that was not at all or didn't seem to be the motivation. And I use careful words like ``seem to be'' because, as a former Federal prosecutor, I like to wait until you do the investigation before you jump to the conclusion of what the motive was or what actually went into the crime at hand.
As in the words of Chief Justice Roberts when he said that it is a
``sordid business, this divvying us up by race,'' I think we do our Nation a disservice when we spend every waking moment on this floor divvying us up by race. Increasingly, that is what we are doing.
This legislation is well-intended, but this legislation, in the eyes of many in this body, is flawed, in terms of having in it things like the Health Equity Task Force or designate an officer or employee at DOJ whose responsibility shall be to facilitate the expedited review of hate crimes. We have provisions in the legislation to encourage the collection of data, encourage local law enforcement to collect data on hate crimes, but to seek to do so specifically to focus on hate crimes.
It is the contention of many of my colleagues that this is, in fact, a continued focus of division in our country, rather than focusing on the fact of the crime itself, the murder itself.
We all, of course, thought that the crime in Georgia was awful. But, again, the crime doesn't seem to have been motivated by race, yet it is being brought into the context of a hate crime.
Perhaps we should spend some time investigating sex trafficking and human trafficking in the form of massage parlors and people who are basically indentured servants or slaves in the form of the sex trade; the cartels that are along our southern border that are forcing young girls into the sex trade; the people who were bound in a car in Boerne, Texas, in suburban San Antonio, being forced into the sex trade en route to a stash house in Houston, Texas, because they were being run by the Cartel del Noreste of Los Zetas out of Nuevo Laredo--literally, just occurring in the district that I represent in Boerne, Texas.
Perhaps we can focus on this kind of criminal activity and what that actually means for young women and young individuals in our country.
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We talk about is it a hate crime when we have seen data of a young Black male in San Francisco hitting an elderly Asian man on the streets of San Francisco. We have seen that footage. It's probably a hate crime, but it is a crime. If that guy was a White guy or a Black guy, it is a crime. It is a crime going after this elderly man, an American citizen.
And I think when we think about justice, the reason the blindfold exists on Lady Justice is we are supposed to have blind justice. We all acknowledged that we have not had blind justice at many points in the history of our country, but that blind justice is what we seek when we seek equal justice under law.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Jones).
Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, as we near the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is long past time to confront what my colleague and dear friend, Representative Meng, has described as the additional pandemic of hatred, violence, and discrimination against our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to support the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act today.
I would like to address our AAPI communities directly: I cannot know exactly what you are feeling in this moment, but as an openly gay Black man in America, I know what it is like to be marginalized and to be harassed because of who you are.
I turned 34 years old today, and while the end product may look okay, there is a lot that I carry with me. I know what it is like to feel both invisible and exposed, both unseen and targeted. I know what it is like to have to fight for rights that you should just be able to take for granted. And I know that in the United States of America no one should ever have to feel this way.
So what I want the AAPI community to know is this: As surely as the Earth revolves around the Sun, I will be with you always because we can only get through this together.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, as the gentleman said, as a 34-year-old, the end product may look okay. This 48-year-old may not be able to make a similar statement.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I wish the gentleman from New York a happy birthday.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark).
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a deadly public health emergency, an economic crisis, and a disturbing rise in anti-Asian hate.
Unfortunately, discrimination against the AAPI community is not new. From the Chinese Exclusion Act to the internment of Japanese Americans, the U.S. has a long history of discrimination towards AAPI immigrants and their descendants. This new wave of xenophobia has led to fear, threats, and outright violence.
Madam Speaker, by passing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act today, we are standing up for our neighbors and against discrimination. We take this vote during AAPI Heritage Month, a time to acknowledge incredible contributions of this community and also the interconnection of the American story and our mutual security.
I am proud to represent a large and vibrant AAPI community in my district, and I have seen that community come together over the last year and joined to help their neighbors and demand justice for all.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to support this bill today. It is critical and long overdue.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer).
Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which incorporates my bill with you, Madam Speaker--Ms. Chu, Representatives Upton and Buchanan--the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act.
This is a bill my team started back in 2015 to respond to hate crimes in Northern Virginia, but it breaks my heart to hear about the abuse our African-American friends in this body--Democrat and Republican--
have experienced in the last few years. But we are very proud of our bipartisan, bicameral creation of a bill to address the underreporting of hate crimes.
I want to thank the families of Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer for allowing us to use their names and highlight why we are here today.
I thank now-retired Representative Pete Olson and his team for being true partners on this bill, along with Representatives Upton and Buchanan.
I thank Senators Blumenthal and Moran for leading the fight in the Senate and getting this packaged bill to the House.
Most importantly, I thank Judy Chu, Grace Meng, and Raja Krishnamoorthi. Without their voices, and without the leadership of Chairman Nadler, we would not be here today addressing anti-Asian hate, and we would not be moving this legislation forward today.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Virginia reminds me--and we have not discussed this--that I first met the gentleman from Virginia when I was in college at the University of Virginia and he was the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and I was an instructor for a golf camp that summer in Charlottesville for his daughter, I believe Stephanie. Pulling out of my memory banks. And that is where I first met him. Again, 20--whatever I was--23 or 22 years old, right out of college.
But he reminds me that one of my college teammates at the University of Virginia was a gentleman by the name of Lewis Chitengwa. Lewis is not somebody you all would know, but you do know the name Tiger Woods. And Tiger was asked after his infamous 1997 year when he won the Masters--
obviously breaking down the color barrier at Augusta Masters. He was asked if he had ever been disappointed in sports. And he said he was disappointed once when he lost the Orange Bowl, the biggest amateur tournament down in Miami, where you would expect that to be. And he lost it to my friend, Lewis Chitengwa.
Lewis is the first Black to win the South African Open. It was a monumental event, I believe in the early 1990s, when he won that tournament before he came to the University of Virginia, where he ultimately graduated. Unfortunately, he passed away 20 years ago this summer from meningitis.
He had played golf in the Canadian tour in Vancouver and shot, I think, 68-69 Thursday or Friday, and passed away Saturday morning. Talk about a pandemic. He passed away from viral meningitis.
I raise Lewis just because Lewis, when he went home, he passed away that summer, they had to wait about a month to bury him because of the AIDS epidemic in Zimbabwe, where he was from.
Lewis was the recipient of unspeakable hate when we were in college around the Charlottesville community in the 1990s. And we would often discuss that and talk about that and about those changing times. But it was fascinating for me to watch a man like Lewis, who came from Zimbabwe and experienced a lot of what was apartheid in South Africa and being the first Black to win the South African Open, to him talking about the greatness of this country and justice in this country and what this country has meant as a beacon for people around the world and justice. And we talked about it at length.
I understand the intent behind this bill, and I just want to say that I share that intent; and I know in speaking for Mr. Jordan, who had to relinquish the time to me, that we share that intent. We just have serious reservations about defining hate crimes and going down the road of collecting data and the way we are doing it and how that divvies us up by race.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), one of the sponsors of this legislation.
Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the COVID-
19 Hate Crimes Act.
Since the start of this pandemic, Asian Americans have been terrified by the near-daily attacks in our communities. Shocking videos like the fatal assault of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, and the horrific shootings of eight people at three Asian-owned spas in Georgia brought national attention to this issue, but it also showed that our national response to combating hate crimes is lacking.
That is why today's vote is so important. The bill would create a new position at the U.S. Department of Justice to better track and address COVID-19 hate crimes. It also includes the text of the bill I co-lead, the NO HATE Act, which improves hate crime reporting by law enforcement and provides grants for community-centered solutions to fight hate.
After a year in which we have seen over 6,600 anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents, finally we are helping the Asian-American community fight back.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority leader of the House.
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, there is no place in America for hate. Well, at least there should be no place in America for hate. There should be no place in our country for exclusion, for bigotry, or racial violence.
And, frankly, I tell my friend from Texas, it is not enough just to say that we are against that. We need to do something. This bill takes a step to doing something.
Disturbingly, over the past few years, we have seen these evils emerge out of their dark hiding places. While we have always struggled as a nation to confront hatred and injustice, this past year we have been tested in ways we have not seen in some period of time.
Madam Speaker, in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed an onslaught of hatred directed against Asian Americans, and other minorities as well. These men and women, our fellow citizens, have endured vile words and violent blows. They have been made to feel unsafe and made to feel apart.
Congress is taking action today, led by my friends Senator Hirono, Representative Meng, Representative Beyer, and Representative Chu. I am so proud to align myself with their efforts to make it clear that hate crimes against Asian Americans will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible and that they will never be tolerated in our country, ever, as they have been tolerated too often in the past.
Representative Chu, as chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, has put forward a resolution condemning the deadly shootings in Atlanta in March, which killed six Asian-American women and two others. I am strongly supporting both her resolution and Senator Hirono's hate crimes legislation, which has already passed the Senate, 94-1. Mr. Hawley of Missouri was the sole exception, the Senator who gave thumbs-up to the insurrectionists.
That bill is the companion to Representative Meng's legislation, and she has instructed my office she wants to see this adopted as soon as possible. We would have brought her bill to the floor, but she said, no, let's do the Senate bill because it can move more quickly. And she deserves full credit for bringing this issue forward.
Madam Speaker, I commend her for her tireless efforts to stand up against hate targeting in the Asian-American community and in every other community--indivisible, one Nation.
Together, as the Nation's representatives, we must make it absolutely clear that racism and intolerance have no home here in America. Very frankly, the people who look at this vote will not parse it. They will interpret it as those who are against hate and those who thought this bill wasn't perfect in saying that we are against hate.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join in sending that message with a strong bipartisan vote on both of these measures. Let us reject hate and remind our Asian-American brothers and sisters that we are one Nation indivisible, standing together and building our common future together.
We haven't always been that Nation. We haven't always been the perfect union to which we inspire. Too often, we have held others who are not like us as less than us. That has been a tragedy of mankind wherever one lived. This is a small step, but it is an important step. Let's take it.
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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I do think it is important what the majority leader just said. I mean, first of all, we will never be a perfect union. All we can do is strive, of course, to achieve the ideals set out in our founding and throughout our history.
But I do take issue; as the distinguished majority leader knows, I stood on this floor recognizing my concerns about January 6. But to suggest that the Senator from Missouri, Senator Hawley, is somehow giving a thumbs-up to insurrection, as opposed to engaging in speech and debate about his beliefs and his beliefs under the Constitution; I think that is wrong.
And I think we are continuing to go down this road of back and forth on these issues, as opposed to having a deep discussion about what occurred and what didn't occur. But, importantly, on this issue, you know, taking the Senator's word that he has some concerns, as I do.
I mean, I have sat here and expressed my solidarity and hope and desire, again, as a former Federal prosecutor, figuring out how to root out hate and stop crime. I happen to believe that we should do that through the lens of being color blind, and attacking our criminal justice system the way we should to try to root it out, but not to embed in our code the continued divvying us up by race. That is just how I view it.
That is how I view it with a number of friends of mine of all walks of life, of all political persuasions, of all racial persuasions; and I think that we should be mindful of that.
And the majority leader, I think, gave it up a little bit in saying that, you know, this vote will be seen either as A or B, right? It will be seen as you are either for hate or you are against hate. That is, I think, one of the fundamental problems we have in this body, is that we can't engage in a reasonable debate about what we are seeing here and concerns we might have. And being equally opposed to hate, or equally opposed, or wanting to go root out crime, but have a differing view about how we get there; that doesn't mean it is A or B, you are for hate or you are against hate.
But that is what we do; we drop a $2 trillion, 2,000-page bill on the floor, and you say, well, you are either with us or against us. Vote for this bill, it is named fill-in-the-blank. Right? Come up with a great name, you can't oppose that.
Suddenly then, that is what is put out in the headlines, you know, Chip Roy votes for hate, right, instead of having an actual, robust debate here on the floor about how we want to carry the country forward. I think that is what we ought to have.
I actually enjoy this part of our job. I enjoy having numbers of Members on the floor engaging back and forth about these issues that are important, rather than just seeking the headline and running out to the triangle and giving a press conference, divvying us up further in our ideologies, or in the name of a certain or particular bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in bringing this important legislation to the floor. It really is representative of his lifetime of service to our country for liberty and justice for all, the term that our distinguished leader mentioned in his comments--liberty and justice for all.
I want to spring from that and talk about e pluribus unum. When our Founders established that as a principle, as a guide, e pluribus unum, from many, one, they could never have imagined how many we would be or how different we would be from each other, but they knew we had to be one, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Madam Speaker, I thank the leader for framing it in that way, and I thank the chairman for bringing us together around this legislation put forth by Representative Grace Meng, a real champion in Congress, who has long led the charge against anti-AAPI bigotry, and all forms of bigotry and violence, and who sees this impact firsthand in her district in Queens. I have visited her there, seeing the beautiful diversity of her community, even diversity within the Asian-American community, as diverse as it is, and the trust that they place in her, well-placed.
And I salute CAPAC chair, Judy Chu, an historic leader, who every day is ensuring that the AAPI community has a powerful voice and strong representation in the United States Congress.
Madam Speaker, I was listening to the gentleman's comments, and I was recalling when this resolution came to the floor last year, and the leader on the other side said: Nobody in the kitchen tables of America is talking about this. Another Member said that I was wasting the Congress' time, as Speaker, to be addressing this AAPI violence, or any of the hate COVID initiatives. It was ridiculous to say we were wasting time. It is important, it is the work of the Congress. This is an issue for us, it is a value. It is a value that is reaffirmed by overwhelming vote in a bipartisan way in the United States Senate.
I know that Representative Meng considered it a happy day when we were on the Senate side, in the leadership of Chuck Schumer, with Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Tammy Duckworth, our colleague, Andy Kim, and, of course, our lead sponsor, Grace Meng, as that bill was being brought forward on the Senate side, which, as we all know, received very strong, overwhelming bipartisan support.
So, today, in the House, we see representation in action as we bring to the House floor important legislation to address a grave and growing crisis to the AAPI community and our entire country, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
And, again, I will salute Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth, our leaders in the Senate, where the legislation passed almost unanimously, a clear sign of the Congress' unity on this priority.
I, too, am blessed to represent a district that is blessed with a large AAPI population. And I have seen, as have some of our other colleagues, firsthand, the hate crimes exacted against them, intensified since last year. Over 6,600 incidences of anti-AAPI discrimination and violence from March of last year to March of this year, in all 50 States, have been reported: businesses vandalized, seniors attacked, families living in fear, and hundreds more occur unreported in the shadows. This is what we know.
These attacks are even more shameful in light of the heroism of our AAPI community during the pandemic, against which 2 million Asian-
Americans and Pacific Islanders are fighting on the front lines as healthcare providers, as first responders, our police and fire, and other essential workers.
As a Californian, again, I have seen firsthand the pain in my community at an AAPI-serving healthcare clinic in Chinatown last month, and in conversations with the AAPI groups. We have these regular conversations at this time, sadly, taking this form.
This epidemic of anti-AAPI bigotry is a challenge really, Madam Speaker, to the conscience of our country, which demands bold, effective, and immediate action.
As the House prepares to pass this legislation today, I also join my colleagues in support of Chair Judy Chu's resolution condemning the deadly attack targeting the AAPI community in Georgia last month. These shootings were a vicious and vile act that compound the terror and pain that Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders face each day.
This bill that we have on the floor today, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, will strengthen our defenses against any anti-AAPI violence, speeding our response to hate crimes, supporting State and local governments as they improve reporting, and ensuring that hate crimes information is more accessible to the Asia-American communities.
This legislation also includes bipartisan measures to further improve hate crimes reporting and promote a better response to those hate crimes of any kind.
Madam Speaker, it is really important if we are going to address the matter, if we are going to help solve the problem, we have to have an accounting of what it is. As I said, 6,600 in the past year, a lot of it intensified toward the end of that year.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Don Beyer for his leadership in the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, now as an amendment to this bill. This bill also builds on steps taken by President Biden, including his day one executive order to marshal Federal resources to combat xenophobia against Asian-Pacific and Pacific Islanders, and his March 30 announcement of additional steps to combat anti-AAPI bigotry.
Together, these steps would make a significant difference to address hate crimes in America, not only during this pandemic, but for years to come. This month, May, is AAPI Heritage Month, and in this month we celebrate the many blessings that the AAPI community has bestowed on our Nation over the generations.
As we do so, let us honor those contributions with action: ensuring that every Asian-American and Pacific Islander and their families and loved ones can live with safety, dignity, and pride.
Madam Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, and ask for the Chu resolution condemning the shootings of Georgia, when that comes up. I look forward to seeing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act go directly to the President's desk, as it has already passed the Senate, and be swiftly signed into law in a strong, bipartisan way.
Madam Speaker, I urge a strong ``aye'' vote.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Pingree). The gentleman from Texas has 2\1/4\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from New York has 4\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez).
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation, and I thank my dear friends and colleagues, Grace Meng and Judy Chu, for their passionate leadership on this issue, and for leading the charge on this bill today.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this country has witnessed a shocking rise in hate crimes against the AAPI communities. I am proud to represent New York City's Chinatown on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Brooklyn's Chinatown around 8th Avenue and Sunset Park.
It goes without saying that my constituents, and every one of our constituents, ought to be able to go to work, walk to the grocery store, or ride public transportation without fear of a bigoted, and even dangerous attack.
We need to bring justice to all the victims of these heinous crimes. That is why passing this bill is a must. Vote ``yes'' and let's lead with action. Let's send a strong message that hate and bigotry will not be tolerated in the United States of America.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case).
Mr. CASE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to give voice, not just to the 80 percent of my constituents whose heritage lies in Asia and the Pacific, but to all I represent; that we join with our brothers and sisters across our country in solidarity; that hate against any of us based on our race, our ethnicity, our heritage, is hate against us all; that this must end here now.
I rise today to recognize my Senator, Mazie Hirono, a pioneer in her own right, who brought this message to us in anger and in faith. I rise today for my granddaughter, 2-year-old, Cadence Masako Ansdell, and for millions like her for whom we must, today, make this choice, that when they come of age, they will know only the harsh lessons of their past and not the tragic reality of their present.
Madam Speaker, I rise for us all.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor. I applaud the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act's passage in the Senate, and I thank Representatives Meng, Chu, Beyer, and Senators Hirono and Duckworth for leading the call to address the rise in hate crimes against the AAPI community.
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The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will help ensure that we are measuring the severity of hate crimes in this Nation so we can implement systemic change.
It is time that we address the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. We cannot ignore the fear and the heartbreak that plagues our AAPI communities. We cannot ignore the hate and the violence perpetrated upon the AAPI community. We cannot ignore the fact that there have been at least 2,800 incidents of anti-Asian hate in the United States since the pandemic began and 1,226 incidents taking place in California and 728 crimes in the Bay Area alone. Unfortunately, this is only a fraction of anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents that we know because so many go unreported.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act so that we can continue to fight against hate and violence and support justice, equality, and safety for the AAPI community.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, those who tolerate hate perpetuate hate. A brief story: I saw the picture, the film, the depiction of the lady in New York when she was approached by a man who kneed her in her stomach, forced her to the ground, and kicked her with his feet on multiple occasions. That kind of hate we cannot tolerate.
He happened to have been a person of color. It must be known that regardless as to who you are, regardless as to your race or your color, Madam Speaker, if you perfect that kind of hate, you should be prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows. Those who tolerate hate perpetuate hate.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, the gentlewoman from California earlier made a good point, and I am going to use my own words to paraphrase what she said when she said that we can't legislate away hate.
The perspective of many of us is that we don't need new laws, we don't need more committees, and we don't need more bureaucracy. We need to give our police the resources they need to do their job. We need to make sure that we are rooting out crime wherever it may exist between whatever communities it may exist. We need more emphasis on family, more emphasis on community, more emphasis on the Lord Almighty, and less reliance on the Federal Government to make our communities better.
As I said earlier, I can get into the intricacies of the bill, but we have already gone over it. The concern of many on my side of the aisle is in this continued sordid business of divvying us up on race and focusing on race.
We have spent the better part of the last year rightfully concerned, focused, and outraged on what we saw with respect to Mr. Floyd. But we have had a continued focus on race over the last year, and I think one can look at the impact on communities and the impact on Black communities throughout the United States' cities, businesses that have been closed down, and crime sprees that have occurred and wonder what this continued focus on race is doing to better our great Nation.
I would posit that we are a far better country when we follow Lady Justice with the blindfold and that we seek to achieve that recognizing our failure to do so in the past but seeking our desire to achieve that blindfolded justice going forward.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, our country is experiencing a devastating rise in hate, particularly against Asian Americans, throughout this pandemic. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act responds to this urgent problem and will help our government position itself to act quickly on reports of hate crimes. It will ensure we have accurate data on the size and scope of the problem. With this information, the Department of Justice will be better positioned to act on reported hate crimes and to prevent future ones.
Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation and to send it to the President's desk without delay, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 937.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion are postponed.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 86
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