These enhancements would allow for hate crimes committed on and off federal property; previously the crime had to have been committed on federal property for the law to apply. The law will also now cover hate crimes committed because of a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
The next step is passage of the bill in Senate, which seems likely to happen soon. President Obama has already committed to signing the bill into law, so we may finally (after many years of work) have passage of hate crimes legislation inclusive of the LGBTQ community. The final bill does not include the death penalty clause or other unwelcomed amendments.
You've probably heard the expression that "Laws are like sausages: It is better not to see them being made." Even good laws are subject to that, and this one was no exception. Our success comes thanks to Harry Reid's strategy of attaching it to the bill that sets the defense spending. His belief, which I do not share, was that this was the bill's best, and perhaps only, chance at passage this year.
Organizations like NYAC, which both support hate crimes legislation and oppose war, found ourselves in the awkward position of being asked to advocate for a defense bill. While that strategy has left a bitter taste in my mouth and many others, it appears to be paying off.
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