House Passes COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, Signature Away From Becoming Law

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act Tuesday, clearing Congress with bipartisan support.

The bill, which was introduced by New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng and Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono, passed 364 to 62, above the two-thirds majority required. It passed the Senate 92-6 in April, and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

The bill directs the Department of Justice to accelerate its reviews of reported COVID-related hate crimes, and improves the ways to report them to local governments online. It also includes state and local grants to help improve hate crime reporting, a bipartisan provision that was added by Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran.

“The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act is a necessary step to confront the second pandemic of racism and discrimination,” Meng said on the House floor Tuesday before the vote. “We cannot mend what we do not measure.”