The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that will allow for the aggressive investigation of hate crimes, especially those against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), as the COVID-19 pandemic saw a dramatic increase in incidents following the virus outbreak.
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in March, which passed the House with a 364-62 vote on May 18, according to the The Washington Post. All of the "no" votes were from House Republicans.
"Today Congress sends a powerful, united message that we stand in solidarity with the AAPI community as we confront an epidemic of racism and intolerance. Next stop for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act? President Joe Biden's desk," Hirono wrote in a May 18 Facebook post.
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono
| Hirono.senate.gov
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would assign an official in the U.S. Justice Department to review and expedite any reports of hate crimes related to the pandemic, which have been committed against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, along with expanding the support for local and state law enforcement agencies to respond to these crimes. It would also issue guidance on how to mitigate the use of racially discriminatory language to describe the pandemic, according to the Washington Post.
The legislation is in part due to an increase in hate crimes directed towards those of Asian descent after the COVID-19 outbreak emerged from Wuhan, China, in early 2020. According to the Washington Post, just five days after Hirono introduced the legislation, eight people were killed in a mass shooting at three Atlanta-area spas, and six of them were Asian-American women.
Supporters of the bill cite a study in 16 major cities where hate crimes rose 145% towards Asian Americans in the last year alone.