The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, adding it as an amendment to the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate invoked cloture on the amendment by a vote of 60-39, and then passed the amendment by voice vote. The House has already passed the much-debated hate crimes bill as a stand-alone piece of legislation. Friday’s Washington Post described the bill: "the definition of a hate crime would expand to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. Local law enforcement officials would be allowed to apply for federal grants to solve such crimes, and federal agents would be given broader authority to assist state and local police. More stringent federal sentencing guidelines would also be instituted."
Conservative Christian groups strongly criticized the Senate’s action. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said: "preserving equal justice under the law is more important than scoring points with advocates of homosexual behavior. All violent crimes are hate crimes, and every victim is equally important…. Congress should represent all Americans, not give special protections for some." (Christian Post). In the past, some Christian groups have argued that the bill interferes with their right to preach against homosexual behavior. At a press briefing following the Senate’s action, White House press secretary Dana Perino reiterated the White House’s opposition to the hate crimes bill, but stopped short of repeating previous promises by the President to veto the bill. (See prior posting.)
