Washington, D.C. — Today, with a bipartisan vote, the Senate passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The legislation will provide culturally and linguistically appropriate resources to federal, state, and local justice officials to monitor and address the surge in hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community since the start of the pandemic.
Following the passage of the bill, Mara Rudman, executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Over the past year, we have seen a horrific spike in hate crimes targeting the AAPI community. We’ve also seen repeatedly how racist and inflammatory language used by the former president and others to describe the pandemic has had violent and even deadly consequences for the community, especially its elders. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act ensures that the justice system has the resources to adequately monitor and address attacks on the AAPI community in ways that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. We applaud Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) for introducing this urgent legislation. The fact that this bill is one of the few pieces of legislation to receive bipartisan support in this Congress demonstrates the severity of the crisis that the AAPI community is experiencing and underscores the urgency of continuing to work together to fight racism and hate.
For more information on this topic or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected].