What is the status of the The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act?
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act was introduced in the 111th Congress by Representatives John Conyers (D-MI) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) in the House, and the Matthew Shepard Act was introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) in the Senate. On April 29, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1913 by a vote of 249-175. On July 16, 2009, the Senate voted 63-28 to proceed with the Matthew Shepard Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. The DoD authorization bill passed the Senate with the Matthew Shepard Act as an amendment on July 23, 2009. The Senate and House versions of the bill were then reconciled in a conference committee. In conference, the hate crimes provision was also renamed “The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act,” honoring the memory of another victim of hate violence – in the same year as Matthew Shepard – an African-American man who was dragged to death in Jasper, Texas. On October 8, 2009 the H
