Holder Tells Congress New Hate Crime Law Needed

[Zenlitened]

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 25, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General Eric Holder urged Congress Thursday to pass a new hate crimes law which would allow the federal government to prosecute cases of violence based on sexual orientation, gender or disability.

Holder, who testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, cited the recent killing of a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. The alleged assailant is a white supremacist.

''One has to look at the unfortunate history of our nation. There are groups that have been singled out, that have been targets of violence,'' the attorney general said. ''We have to face and confront that reality.''

Lawmakers at the hearing debated the possible impact of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The bill -- named after a gay man killed in Wyoming in 1998 -- would allow federal prosecution of violence committed because of the actual or perceived gender, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity of the victim.

More:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/06/25/us/politics/AP-US-Holder-Hate-Crimes.html?_r=1