“Targeting any individual in violence for any reason is against the law and something our society firmly opposes. However, current criminal justice laws already cover crimes that would be prosecuted under hate crime legislation.

“Additionally, this legislation does not protect the First Amendment rights of religious leaders who could potentially be held liable for the criminal actions of others when exercising this right to free speech.

“It is challenging, if not impossible, to distinguish intent thereby increasing the difficulty of enforcing this legislation. Hate is always wrong, but the laws in America must treat each crime and each victim equally as opposed to placing a higher penalty on some crimes committed against one individual over another.”

Highlights of the bill include:

Ø H.R. 1592 provides for no First Amendment protections safeguarding Americans’ free speech and religious expression rights. Thus, religious leaders promoting traditional morality could be made subject to compulsory legal processes simply because their religious teachings may be regarded as inciting “hate crimes” or viewed as “hate speech.”

Ø H.R. 1592 would make certain “hate crimes” new federal offenses – including crimes motivated by “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (not defined in the bill).

Ø H.R. 1592 would codify separate and distinct treatment for the very same violent crime, and provide additional federal resources, funding, and assistance for investigating and prosecuting a “hate crime” over another “random” violent crime.

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