Matthew Shepherd Hate Crime Bill passed the senate

[u-dog]

Originally Posted by tdogg

I was wondering if combining it with DOD would backfire. Seems either way, it's destined to lose this time. It really needs to be a stand alone issue. I have to admire those who are standing on their principals regarding the war even if it means the hate crimes bill doesn't pass this time.

Does anyone know if this gets vetoed, how soon this could get pushed again? As the house and senate both approved, perhaps this is something we definitely want to get through for the new administration.

If the next adminstration is Democrat this legislation will DEFINATELY be put forward again and this time it wouldn't be vetoed. If the democrats increase the size of their majority in Congress... then the Transgender provisions will probably be put back into the bill. It could be better all around to wait until 2009.

[Dumbledore]

Originally Posted by u-dog

If the next adminstration is Democrat this legislation will DEFINATELY be put forward again and this time it wouldn't be vetoed. If the democrats increase the size of their majority in Congress... then the Transgender provisions will probably be put back into the bill. It could be better all around to wait until 2009.

The transgender part IS included in the Hate Crimes Bill. It is not included in ENDA. I definitely don't want to wait on the Hate Crimes Bill, but ENDA...yeah...let's wait until we can add the T.

[antonyh]

How very disappointing. With Election year in '08, I doubt that it will be revived.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.)Thursday morning acquiesced to demands by House Democratic leaders to drop a gay and transgender inclusive hate crimes bill from the National Defense Authorization Act, a knowledgeable Capitol Hill source said.

The decision kills the hate crimes bill for this year, but House Democrats, led by gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), are calling on the Senate to pass a freestanding hate crimes bill as early as February.

Senate Democrats had hoped to pass the DOD authorization bill with the hate crimes measure in tact, saying it was the best strategy for discouraging President Bush from vetoing the hate crimes measure, which Bush opposes.

http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/t...?blog_id=15561

Gay365
Guardian Unlimited UK

[antonyh]

Here is what the HRC has to say about the loss of the Hate Crimes Bill. I wonder if it will be possible to reintroduce this into the Senate given two facts:

1) It is an election year
2) The President waiving his veto pen

Today, House-Senate conferees confirmed that the Matthew Shepard Act, which had passed the Senate as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill, would be removed from the final version of the bill. This announcement was made after House Leadership’s whipping the vote count on the conference report concluded there were not enough votes for passage of the bill if it included the hate crimes provision.

"Today’s decision is deeply disappointing, especially given the historic passage of hate crimes legislation through both Houses of Congress this year. After more than ten years and several successful bipartisan votes, it is heartbreaking to fall short this close to the finish line," said Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign. "However, we are not giving up on efforts to find another legislative vehicle, in the second half of this Congress, to move the Matthew Shepard Act."...

Inclusion of the hate crimes provision in the final version of the bill fell victim in the House to challenges from opponents of hate crimes as well as unrelated concerns regarding Iraq-related provisions of the bill. The hate crimes veto threat issued by the White House and organized opposition by House Republican Leadership cost significant numbers of votes on the right. Iraq-related provisions that many progressive Democrats opposed cost votes on the left. Moderate Democrats, many of whom voted for the hate crimes bill in May, did not want to test the President’s veto threat and risk a delay in increased pay for military personnel. All of these factors resulted in insufficient votes to secure passage of the bill with the hate crimes provision.

"The exhaustive efforts of Majority Leader Reid, Senator Kennedy, Senator Smith, Senator Levin, Representative Conyers, Representative Kirk and other allies of equality on Capitol Hill, to keep the Matthew Shepard Act as part of this bill should not go unnoticed. We thank them for their efforts and know that they will continue to work with us to find a way to get this legislation to the President’s desk," continued Solmonese.

http://www.hrc.org/8435.htm

[Progo35]

I agree with U Dog about combing this bill with the DOD bill. It gives the impression that Congressional representatives might try to "sneak" other, bad things by opponents by attaching it to another bill that is favored by the opponents.

[ladyinred]

Why was it thrown in with the hate crimes bill, this seems suspicious as if it were some subversive attempt to keep the hate crimes bill from being passed.It apparently didn't work to combine the two to keep it from being vetoed.