House unable to pass new hate-crime bill

WASHINGTON — Congress has dropped legislation that would have expanded laws against hate crimes to include attacks on gays after it became clear the measure wouldn’t pass the House, aides said Thursday.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was widely supported by Democrats and some moderate Senate Republicans. But because it was attached to a major defense policy bill that would have authorized more money for the Iraq war, many anti-war Democrats said they would oppose it.

“We don’t have the votes,” said one House Democratic aide. “We’re about 40 votes short, not four or six.”

The development is a blow to civil rights groups, which say that broadening federal laws are necessary to address a rise in crimes motivated by hate and based upon a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The military bill was “the last clear chance this year for Congress to make a meaningful effort to stop hate crime violence,” said Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

In a joint statement issued Thursday, Kennedy and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said they were disappointed the House refused to attempt a vote on the legislative package, even if it would have failed. Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, oversees the defense bill.

“At a time when our ideals are under attack by terrorists in other lands, it is more important than ever to demonstrate that we practice what we preach, and that we are doing all we can to root out the bigotry and prejudice in our own country that leads to similar violence here at home,” the senators said.

Under current federal law, hate crimes include acts of violence against individuals on the basis of race, religion, color or national origin. Federal prosecutors have jurisdiction only if the victim is engaged in a specific federally protected activity such as voting.

Kennedy’s bill would have extended the category to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.