May 20, 2021

Duckworth Applauds President Biden Signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act Into Law

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – After a year of rising anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination against the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and others at the White House as President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. Duckworth helped U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) introduce this legislation in the Senate, where it passed by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 94-1 before also passing in the U.S. House of Representatives 364-62. Photos from today’s ceremony are available here.

“After a year of unfathomable suffering and rising hate crimes against the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community, making the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act the law of the land sends a strong and resolute message that our entire nation is committed to ending AANHPI hate,” said Senator Duckworth. “I’m proud to have helped Senator Hirono introduce this important legislation in the Senate to strengthen our enforcement of existing hate crime laws and support victims of this senseless, misguided violence. It is long past time to break the cycle of discrimination against the AANHPI community and I’m honored President Biden signed our legislation into law today to take a step toward accomplishing that goal.”

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