Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today after President Obama signed into law the Department of Defense Authorization bill, legislation that included the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Amendment. Dodd was an original cosponsor of the underlying legislation, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.
“Hate crimes destroy families, damage communities, and offend our core American values,” said Dodd. “The shared values that define us as Americans are stronger than our differences. This legislation makes it clear that in a country where so much unites us, there is simply no place for hatred and discrimination, and I applaud the President for signing this important measure into law today.”
The measure expands existing law to cover hate crimes involving sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. It will also enable the Department of Justice to provide its non-federal partners with assistance to support hate crimes enforcement efforts.
The legislation is named after Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student from Wyoming who was brutally attacked and killed in a hate crime in 1998.
