Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Jamie Raskin Lead 53 Co-Sponsors in Introducing Bill to Establish a Commission to Investigate Hate Crimes

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Yesterday, Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Jamie Raskin introduced legislation to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate and report on hate crimes. Specifically, the commission would be charged with determining if there had been a rise in hate crimes, the causes of that increase, and how to combat it. The 12-person panel would have one year to prepare its report and its members would be appointed by the House and Senate leadership of both parties with equal representation from the civil rights and law enforcement communities.

"Over the course of this year, we've seen hate-motivated crimes strike numerous communities as people have been targeted based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "In the wake of this series of attacks, Congress must take action so that all Americans know their rights will be protected and that those who violate them will be brought to justice. This bill will establish a bipartisan commission to directly address these issues by bringing law enforcement and the civil rights community together to determine not only the scale and root causes of these attacks, but also how we can combat them."