Since 2015, the United States has seen an increase in violent crimes motivated by bias. Specifically, Muslim Americans have experienced a higher percentage of reported hate crimes from 2014 to 2015, the reports increased by 67%. As noted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) report, from November 9, 2016 to March 31, 2017, 1,893 hate crimes were reported throughout the United States.
As the incidents continue to rise, members of Congress have submitted various bills to address this threat at all levels. From expanding and improving mechanisms of reporting at local, state and federal levels, to amending existing laws to protect religiously affiliated property, to addressing the concerns of hate crimes on campus, there has been a concerted effort to improve protections and reporting of hate crimes.
The NO HATE Act, aimed to improve the means of hate crime reporting at state and federal levels. This legislation would authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue grants to states and local governments to assist in implementing the National Incident-Based Reporting System, including training employees to identify hate crimes.
Crimes motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim pose a serious national problem. These bills are in response to the FBI’s report confirming in 2015 a rise in violent crimes motivated by bias.