HARTFORD, Conn. — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General William Tong, State Treasurer Shawn Wooden and others gathered Monday morning to celebrate the Senate passage last week of the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act as part of the COVID-19 Hates Crime Act.
The act was passed last week by a vote of 94-1.
“The reason this measure is so important it not only sends a message and takes that first step against hate crimes at a national and federal level," Blumenthal said. "It is a first step because it will spur more reporting, we know that hates crimes are notoriously under-reported, there has been a surge in hate crimes targeting Asian American and Pacific Islands, and we need to combat that surge. But equally important, incentivize and spur more reporting."
Blumenthal said the effort to pass legislation began in 2017 following a series of attacks on houses of worship.
The legislation addresses what Blumenthal called an epidemic of hate crimes occurring across the country by improving reporting and expanding assistance and resources for victims.
"According to data from the FBI, there were more hate crimes reported in 2019 than at any point over the past decade, and more hate-motivated killings since the early 1990s," he said in a press release. "In addition, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been more than 3,800 incidents of harassment, discrimination, and assault against Asian Americans. According to the Anti-Defamation League, more than 40% of Americans have experienced online hate or harassment."
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