Speeches
Pelosi: ‘Hate Crimes Have No Place in America’
05/03/2007
Washington,
D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this afternoon in support
of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which passed by a vote
of 237 to 180. Below are her remarks as prepared:
“Thank you very
much, Mr. Speaker.
“I
thank the distinguished Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr.
Conyers, for bringing this important legislation to the floor. I
thank him for his ongoing, long commitment to justice in our
country. I want to commend Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and
Congressman Barney Frank for their leadership. It is an honor to
call you colleagues. Thank you for giving us the opportunity
today to make
“Every day that we
come to this floor, we honor the tradition of our founders that every person
is created equal. And that we are all God’s children.
"Every
day that we come to this floor, we pledge allegiance to the flag.
At the end of that pledge, we say, ‘with liberty and justice for
all.’ That is what today is about. In the preamble to the
Constitution, which we take an oath to, we talk about forming a more
perfect union. A more perfect union to reflect the values of our
country. And so we are here today to act on those values to the
hate crimes prevention legislation.
"My colleagues have spoken eloquently as to why this
is about the values of our country. They have spoken clearly about the need for
this legislation. But it bears repeating that many law enforcement
organizations, including the
International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National
District Attorneys Association, the National Sheriffs Association, the Police
Executive Research Forum, as well as nearly 30 state Attorneys General across
the country, support the need
for federal hate crimes prevention legislation. They are joined by the
more than 230 civil
rights, education, religious, and civic organizations who have voiced their
support.
“Let us be clear
that this Congress, that this House of Representatives, has heard their call.
Hate crimes have no place in
“This legislation
will help prevent bias-motivated violence based on race, religion, sexual
orientation, gender, gender
identity, national origin, or disability, while respecting the First Amendment
rights of free speech and religious expression. It increases the ability of
local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to solve a wide range of
violent hate crimes.
“We in our country
take pride in saying that we moved to end discrimination of all kinds. Today,
we have an opportunity to end discrimination and the violence that goes with it.
“Who
of us can think of the story of the Shepard family and the Byrd family
and so many examples and not say that is wrong? At the very
least, we can pass legislation that tells federal authorities that they
can assist state and local authorities in enforcing the law. Over
100,000 hate crimes have been reported since 1991; there are so many
more that go unreported. Many of them unprosecuted.
“So
today, let us take this step forward that is consistent with the values
that all are equal and with our faith that we are all God’s
children. And to form a more perfect union. I urge a yes
vote.”