Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act in March after attacks against Asian Americans increased after the coronavirus emerged in China. Just five days after Hirono introduced the legislation, eight people were killed — including six women of Asian descent — in a mass shooting at three Atlanta-area spas.
The legislation would assign an official in the Justice Department to review and expedite all reports of hate crimes related to the coronavirus, expand support for local and state law enforcement agencies responding to these hate crimes, and issue guidance on mitigating the use of racially discriminatory language to describe the pandemic.
Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), sponsor of the bill in the House, spoke about how emotionally and mentally taxing the past year has been for Asian Americans.
“The Asian American community is exhausted from being forced to endure this rise in bigotry and racist attacks,” she said at a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday with other lawmakers. “Asian Americans are tired of living in fear and being frightened about their kids or elderly parents going outside.”
After the vote, Meng cheered the outcome and congratulated her colleagues for “for having the Asian American community’s back as we fight this xenophobia and racist attacks.”
Proponents of the legislation have cited one study in 16 major cities, where hate crimes decreased overall in the past year, but those crimes against Asian Americans soared 145 percent.
“That’s why today’s vote is so important,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “People often ask what Congress is doing about this and we are here today to say Congress is taking action.”
During House debate, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said there is widespread condemnation of violence, but he questioned several aspects of the bill and argued that attacks have occurred in “Democrat cities” and blamed their funding for police.
“We are asking state governments to act as speech police,” Jordan said in criticizing the bill.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) said the legislation is “well-intended but in the eyes of many . . . is flawed.”
But a freshman congresswoman, Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), expressed her support for the bill. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) said she has faced slurs and added, “combating hate is bipartisan.”
Republicans initially showed little support for the legislation, which was drafted in part in response to former president Donald Trump’s frequent use of phrases like “Kung Flu” and “China virus” to describe the coronavirus — language that groups like the World Health Organization advised people not to use as it could lead to anti-Asian violence.
But last month, the Senate voted 94 to 1 for the bill. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) was the lone no vote.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the amount of bipartisanship behind this bill shows how necessary it is to move forward with addressing the issue.
“Nearly 3,800 incident of anti-AAPI attacks in all 50 states have been reported over the past year, businesses vandalized, seniors attacked, families in fear,” she said. “The epidemic of ant-AAPI bigotry is a challenge to the conscience of our country, which demands bold and effective action.”
Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) had welcomed the expected passage in the House.
“Discrimination against Asian Americans is, sadly, not a new phenomenon in our nation’s history, but the pandemic brought old biases and prejudices back to the foreground,” Schumer said, adding: “Today we are another step closer to making progress in the fight against the racial discrimination and violence aimed at Asian Americans in recent months.”
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