"Law enforcement is now one step closer to getting the extra tools they need to combat hate violence," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "Hate crimes continue to spread fear and violence among entire communities of Americans and currently, law enforcement can use these additional tools and resources to prevent and prosecute them. We look forward to the day when partisan politics are finally put aside and this bill passes through Congress and is sent to the president's desk for signing into law.

"Although there were many attempts to derail this legislation today in committee, our allies in Congress stood strong and secured its passage. We are a long way from declaring victory, but we are as committed as ever to continuing to fight back the last desperate attempts by extremists and make sure this bill is realized as the law of the land."

An identical companion bill was introduced April 12, 2007, in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act would strengthen the ability of law enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute hate crimes by:

Protecting All Americans.

Under the current federal law, enacted nearly 40 years ago, the government has the authority to help investigate and prosecute bias-motivated attacks based on race, color, national origin and religion and because the victim was attempting to exercise a federally protected right. For example, authorities became involved in a Salt Lake Citycase where James Herrick set fire to a Pakistani restaurant on Sept. 13, 2001. Herrick was sentenced to 51 months' incarceration on Jan. 7, 2002, after pleading guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 245.

However, under current law, the federal government is not able to help in cases where women, gay, transgender or disabled Americans are victims of bias-motivated crimes for who they are. For example, in Texas, in July 2005, four men brutally assaulted a gay man. While punching and kicking him, whipping him with a vacuum chord and assaulting him with daggers, the offenders told the victim that they attacked him because he was gay. Two of the men were sentenced to six years in prison under a plea bargain that dropped the charges that could have sent them to prison for life. Under this bill, federal authorities would have had the jurisdiction to prosecute the crime or could have provided local authorities resources that might have assisted them in pursuing a longer sentence.

Equipping Local Law Enforcement.

The act would provide crucial federal resources to state and local agencies and equip local law enforcement officers with the tools they need to investigate and prosecute crimes. While most states recognize the problem of hate violence, and many have enacted laws to help combat this serious issue, federal government recognition of the problem is crucial to its solution. Too many local jurisdictions lack the full resources necessary to prosecute hate crimes. For example, when Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998, the investigation and prosecution of the case cost the community of 28,000 residents about $150,000, forcing the sheriff's department to lay off five deputies in order to save money.

Ensuring Equal Application of the Law.

The act would allow federal authorities to become involved if local authorities are unwilling or unable to act. In the hate crime on which the film Boys Don't Cry was based, 21-year-old Brandon Teena was raped and later killed by two friends after they discovered he was biologically female. After the rape and assault, Teena reported the crime to the police, but Richardson County Sheriff Richard Laux, who referred to Teena as "it," did not allow his deputies to arrest the two men responsible. Five days later, those two men shot and stabbed Teena to death in front of two witnesses, Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, who were then also murdered. JoAnn Brandon, Teena's mother, filed a civil suit against Laux, claiming that he was negligent in failing to arrest the men immediately after the rape. The court found that the county was at least partially responsible for Teena's death and characterized Laux's behavior as "extreme and outrageous." Had this federal hate crime law been in effect, federal authorities could have investigated and prosecuted the offenders when the local authorities refused to do so.

Americans overwhelmingly support the expansion of the hate crimes law. According to a new poll conducted by Hart Research, large majorities of every major subgroup of the electorate - including such traditionally conservative groups as Republican men (56 percent) and evangelical Christians (63 percent) - express support for strengthening hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Support also crosses racial lines - with three in four whites (74 percent), African-Americans (74 percent) and Latino/as (72 percent) supporting the act.

More than 210 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations support the passage of this crucial piece of legislation, including:

In addition, the bill is supported by 31 state attorneys general and the leading law enforcement organizations - because, despite progress toward equality in almost all segments of society, hate crimes continue to spread fear and violence among entire communities of Americans, and local law enforcement entities lack the tools and resources to prevent and prosecute these crimes.

Similar bills have passed both the House and Senate in recent years but have failed to be signed into law.

For additional information on hate crimes and the proposed legislation, visit the Human Rights Campaign website at www.hrc.org.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.