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by Eagle Forum

Tell Your Representative to vote NO on the Hate Crimes Bill

The new Democrat majority is at it again, but this time they have really outdone themselves! Not only have they proposed yet another bill that violates the U.S. Constitution, but they have managed to introduce new Hate Crimes legislation that undermines not one, not two, but three constitutional guarantees—freedom of speech, religious expression, and equal protection under the law for all Americans!

Sponsored by Representative John Conyers (D-MI), H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, would make hate crimes (a crime in which the victim is intentionally selected based on his or her race, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc.) a federal offense and it would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes in the U.S. criminal code (Title 18). The bill would also mandate federal criminal prosecution for state offenses, with the possibility of life imprisonment, for crimes motivated by the “actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person.”

H.R. 1592 violates both the 1st and 14th Amendments by infringing upon these constitutional guarantees:

Freedom of Speech—by silencing and punishing all opposing viewpoints. Religious Expression—by targeting faith groups, specifically Christians, who hold traditional beliefs on homosexuality.

Equal Protection—by granting more government protection to certain classes of people. We don’t need a new law! Hate crimes are actually on the decrease! Less than 17% of all law enforcement agencies reported a single hate crime in 2005. We just need strict enforcement of existing laws—to protect ALL Americans equally. A Committee vote on H.R. 1592 will be coming up next week. Call your Representative today!

Take Action

Call your Representative’s office and let them know you expect them to vote NO on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Protection Act (H.R. 1592)!

Call Your Representative Today!

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121