We need your help to pass House Bill 6341 - Michigan's Anti-Bias Crime statute.   The Michigan Senate has refused to allow a vote to take place on this legislation.  The only remaining scheduled date in the present Senate term is Thursday December 17th.  If there is no vote on that date, the bill will die.  New sponsors will have to be found to introduce a new bill to a mostly newly elected House membership. 

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I write in the hope that you will join me in supporting HB-6341, which is commonly referred to as the hate crime bill. This legislation corrects many shortcomings in the existing law and will result in a comprehensive Michigan Anti Bias Crime Statute that has the support of both law enforcement and civil rights groups. Michigan communities must stand united against anyone committing crimes in an effort to divide us, and Michigan law enforcement should be given the tools it needs to respond to such crimes. The fixes contained in this legislation have been lacking for long enough, and the Senate should vote them into law immediately. I hope that I can depend on you to do the right thing by voting in favor of HB-6341.

* The legislation passed in the House by an 81 - 18 margin. This clearly establishes that this is not a partisan issue and it should not be permitted to become one. * The legislation does not create a "new" law, it replaces the current "ethnic intimidation" offense with one more accurately called a "bias motivated crime." It also fixes many legal loopholes that currently make enforcement more difficult than it should be. * The legislation protects (more than the existing law) the free speech rights of all persons, including in particular those who speak out of religious convictions and those whose ideas might be unpopular. By requiring that the prosecutor must prove that a defendant committed one of the specifically named assault or property crimes BEFORE alleging that the defendant's motive for the crime was bias, this legislation will ensure that no person can ever be prosecuted for expressing their opinion, whether it be expressed in a sermon or on a street corner. * The legislation recognizes, for the first time in Michigan law, that placing a noose or burning cross on someone else's property can, when done with malicious intent, be a crime even if there is no damage to the property. * The legislation recognizes that a crime committed against a victim BECAUSE OF who they are is targeted not only against that victim, but also against society as a whole. Such crimes are intended to intimidate groups of people, and to divide our communities. They need to be treated differently and more seriously than other crimes. * The legislation identifies all targeted groups neutrally. For example there is no difference between a white person assaulting a black person and a black person attacking a white one. Nor does the fact that the criminal and victim are of different races make a crime a hate crime. The only question is whether a crime was MOTIVATED by race. * The legislation recognizes that existing Michigan law omits some groups that have been the targets of such crimes. It adds crimes MOTIVATED BY disability, gender (including identity and expression), sexual orientation, and those targeting veterans. * The legislation is based upon the criminal's motive, thus the prosecutor need not prove that the victim was actually a member of whatever group the criminal was targeting. (For example, if a victim is targeted because they are believed to be Muslim, the criminal's motive is the same even if the victim is actually a Christian.) * The legislation makes a misdemeanor that can be shown to have been bias motivated a felony. This ensures that the case is treated by the court with the individual attention required and it greatly increases the sentencing options available. Treating possible hate crimes as felony investigations also enables police to devote the necessary resources to solving the case, and thus to address community concerns, whether by showing that the crime was, or that it was not, bias motivated.

Please let the Senate Leadership know that this bill must pass this session. Tell Senators Bishop, Cropsey and Kuipers that this legislation is important to our community and the people you serve.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
December 12, 2008