US House Passes Asia Hate Crime Prevention Act

Only President Biden's Signature Remains

Photo by WSJ

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Asian American Hate Crimes Prevention Act on the 18th (local time). The bill will officially take effect once signed by President Joe Biden.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the House approved the bill with 364 votes in favor and 62 against. All opposing votes came from the Republican Party. Earlier, the Senate passed the bill on the 22nd of last month with bipartisan support of 94 to 1.

The bill requires the Department of Justice to review all reports related to COVID-19 hate crimes and expand support for state and local law enforcement agencies responding to hate crimes. It also includes guidelines to reduce the use of racially discriminatory language describing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill is based on a joint proposal by Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono and Representative Grace Meng.

At a press conference on the day, Representative Meng said, "The Asian American community is tired of enduring narrow-minded and racist attacks," adding, "They are exhausted from living in fear and being afraid to let their children and elderly parents go outside."