Apr 22, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Senate passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill in overwhelming bipartisan vote

Oriana González

Picture of President Biden and Vice President Harris sitting in the oval office alongside Asian lawmakers — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Executive Committee. Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images

The Senate voted 94-1 on Thursday to pass legislation that aims to improve anti-Asian hate crime tracking and identification.

Why it matters: It's a rare bipartisan endorsement of a bill by the 50-50 Senate, and comes in the wake of a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes over the last year. Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) was lone Republican to vote against the bill.

Details: The bill will train law enforcement to better identify anti-Asian racism and appoint an official in the Justice Department to review and expedite COVID-19-related hate crime reports, among other measures.

After opposition from Republicans, an amendment replaced wording related to "COVID-19 hate crimes" with "hate crimes," while specifically mentioning the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
Another Republican-backed amendment will provide grants to state and local governments to help with hate crime reporting.

What's next: The legislation is likely to pass in the House and head to Biden's desk for a signature.

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Senate passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill in overwhelming bipartisan vote

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