Matthew Shepard hate crime bill passed

The Senate approved a defense spending measure that includes most of the weapons program cuts sought by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and an expansion of the federal hate-crime law.

The $679.8 billion bill, passed by an 87-7 vote late Friday, allots $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

Notably, it includes an amendment that the Senate approved on July 17 expanding protections under the federal hate-crime law to those attacked because of their sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

The provision also would give the Department of Justice expanded authority to investigate crimes under the law when local authorities don’t act. And it would throw out rules requiring victims to have been involved in certain activities, such as attending school or serving as a juror, for the law to apply.

The proposal is named after Matthew Shepard, a college student murdered in Wyoming in 1998 who witnesses said was targeted by his two attackers because he was gay.

The House approved similar legislation in April, and the Obama administration has voiced support for the changes. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 protects those attacked because of their race, color, religion or national origin.

(Via Bloomberg)