Good News Alert for all Texans - Pass it on!
Thursday September 30, 2004
Federal Hate Crime Investigation Funding Motion to help local investigations passes major hurdle in the House of Representatives
(Texas Muslims to benefit)
To all who responded to the action alert sent out by F&J on 9/21/04 to support ADC’s call for grassroots support of a broad base of civil rights organizations lobbying efforts to increase Federal funding of Hate Crime Investigations, we thank you.
The Texas Congressional delegation carries a disproportionate influence on Capitol Hill which bodes well for our State in receiving Federal funding to aide our local economy, but a good number of Texas Congressmen are philosophically opposed to hate crime funding because they see it as a form of preferential treatment based on race, ethnicity, religion or some other factor.
F&J especially thanks all Texans who work to soften these Congressmen’s philosophical opposition, and increase their understanding of the Texas Muslim community’s special needs due to circumstances beyond our control.
Texas Muslims have been blessed to receive the support of local and state law enforcement when afflicted with hate crimes, but sometimes budgetary restraints keep these otherwise responsive local law enforcement personnel from being able to do all they’d like to. The passage of this legislation’s hurdle will alleviate some of these budgetary restrictions and lead to better community relations between Texas Muslims and local law enforcement, during this time of slow economic growth and with many local governmental budgets under extra pressures to cut costs.
This Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA) federally funding some hate crime investigations was passed by the Senate in September of 2000, and died in the House of Representatives. This time around it has been re-passed by the Senate and presented to the House as an Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill of 2005. The motion by the House of Representatives that led to accepting LLEEA this time around passed with a vote of 213-186.