Bipartisan Congressional effort seeks greater aid for hate crime victims through Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act

A bipartisan, bicameral response to rising hate crimes in the United States led to the introduction of the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act (Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act) today.

The legislation would work to actively improve the situation for the victims. It would do so by allowing law enforcement agencies to record and report detailed information about crimes to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), allowing it to better see what threats are facing vulnerable communities nationwide. Support would also be offered for the implementation of and training in the modern NIBRS crime reporting standard.

Further, the legislation would provide grants for the creation of hate crime hotlines and support law enforcement in creating policies to identify, investigate and report hate crimes, train officers therein, create a hate crimes data collection system, establish community relations for addressing hate crimes and form hate crimes units for respective agencies. For the convicted, judges could require community service or education centered on communities impacted by their crimes.

“Hate crimes are so insidious because they’re intended to harm and terrorize an entire community, not just one person or property,” U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), one of the bill’s creators, said. “We know that hate crimes are on the rise, but individual viral videos – no matter how horrifying and stomach-churning – only tell part of the story. Better reporting might sound basic, but it’s absolutely fundamental to understanding and addressing the full scope of the problem.”

Blumenthal was joined in this effort by fellow U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and U.S. Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Fred Upton (R-MI), Judy Chu (D-CA), and Vern Buchanan (R-FL). In this, they have the support of many civil rights advocacy organizations and law enforcement groups, including the Heather Heyer Foundation, Major Cities Chiefs Association, National Association of Attorneys General, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Arab American Institute, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the Anti-Defamation League, among others.

“The Asian American community was raising the alarm about a horrifying wave of hate crimes across the country long before Atlanta,” Beyer said. “The past decade has also seen high-profile murderous incidents that specifically targeted Black Americans, Latinos, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and many other groups. Too many of these hate crimes are never reported to the FBI, and it is more urgent than ever that Congress take action to strengthen the national response. If we do not learn from past mistakes, we are likely to see them repeated.”