Landmark hate crimes legislation passes House-our man Conyers!

[cynatnite]

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Landmark_hate_crimes_legislation_passe_0914.html

In an unexpected 223-199 vote, the House of Representatives passed sweeping hate crimes legislation Wednesday, including protections for minorities and gays who are the subject of hate crimes.

The bill, authored by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), was a rider on another bill -- the Child Safety Act. Thirty moderate Republicans joined the Democratic caucus in supporting the amendment; the bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

Conyers was elated about the measure's passage.

"The passage of this legislation is an historic event that has its basis in the anti-lynching efforts of the 1930's," the Michigan Democrat told RAW STORY. "This has truly been a bipartisan effort that was year in the making."

Conyers said it was the first criminal law-based civil rights legislation to pass in decades.

[kweerwolf]

1. This is really good news, but ...

... it's troubling that it was attached to the Child Safety Act.

However, some gay rights activists were disturbed by the bill the hate crimes amendment was passed with — the Children’s Safety Act, which has raised civil liberties concerns.

<snip>

For example, he said, one provision requires all states to set up sex offender registries. “In some states public lewdness is a sex offense,” he told the Blade. “Public lewdness laws are disproportionately and unfairly enforced against gay men in cruising areas.”

<snip>

Among the provisions in the Children’s Safety Act, it calls for the creation of a national DNA database of anyone arrested or detained by a federal agency, according to Jack King, public affairs director for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

The Act also eliminates federal review for prisoners who are convicted in the killing of someone under the age of 18, he said, calling it one of its worst provisions. Under the Children’s Safety Act, in cases where a person is innocent, once he or she has exhausted the state courts, the only avenue left is executive clemency from the governor, he said.

http://www.nyblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=2472