Measure includes sexual orientation, gender identityA gay- and transgender-inclusive hate crimes bill muscled its way past the first test in its long, uphill battle to become law by gaining broad bipartisan support during a state Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Tuesday.
Senate Bill 212, sponsored by state Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta), cleared the Judiciary Committee by a 7-2 vote and now heads to the Senate Rules Committee. If it passes there, it would then go to the full Senate for a vote before undergoing an identical process in the state House of Representatives.
Another SOVO article on thisEven some conservative lawmakers like Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome) said they were warming up to enacting hate crimes legislation, despite struggling with the idea of "potentially creating special classes of people."
"I do think there's a different message being sent [when hate crimes are perpetrated]," Smith said. "If someone burns a cross in the front yard, it's more than a concern about fire."
But two Republican lawmakers repeatedly asked why some groups were not included in the bill — most often, the homeless — which prompted Fort to make a motion to add "economic status" to the list of protected categories. Smith advised Fort that adding such language could "undermine the whole bill."
