There are times when an elected official takes a stand and has to vote for what is right. Even when it looks like he is going against something good. This happened recently in a vote in the House Chamber in Washington. Congressman Gresham Barrett was one of the few who voted against the Children’s Safety Act of 2005 (HR 3132) because of a “midnight” addition to the bill.
On Sept. 14, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on HR 3132, the Children’s Safety Act of 2005, which will provide necessary protection for our children against predators.?During debate on this legislation, Rep. Conyers of Michigan introduced an amendment that would define a hate crime as “motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim, or is a violation of the hate crime laws of the State or Indian tribe.”? Regrettably, this amendment passed and was added to HR 3132.?
Congressman Barrett supports the Children’s Safety Act of 2005, but he voted against this amendment because hate crimes legislation erodes the laws of individual states. Our law enforcement and judicial system should focus on holding individuals accountable for what they do – not what they think.
Additionally, the introduction of non-germane language to pursue a controversial agenda greatly distracts from the original intent of protecting children from sexual predators.? Because of the inclusion of this amendment to the legislation, Barrett could not vote in favor of HR 3132.
Rep. Barrett explained, “I know you will agree that crimes motivated by ‘hate’ deserve vigorous prosecution, but so do crimes motivated by absolute disregard for life of any kind. This provision is a step backwards. I have talked with Senator Graham and Senator DeMint, and we are all hopeful that the language will be removed from the legislation.”
I encourage you to contact the Senate leadership office to express concern and request that the final version of the Children’s Safety Act of 2005 does not include hate crimes language. Senator Bill Frist is the Senate majority leader. His Washington phone number is 202-224-3344.