Indiana Hate Crime Bill Dies For Third Straight Year

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 6:27 AM

By Travis Thayer (Indianapolis, Ind.) – It appears Indiana will remain one of five states without laws against hate crimes. An Indiana Senate committee decided not to hear Senate Bill 418 on Tuesday. The same committee had delayed taking action on the bill last week.

Huh, you would think passing a bill outlawing HATE CRIMES that 45 other states have passed wouldn't be difficult. https://t.co/k9LoSq3SA6

— Indiana Democrats (@INDems) January 30, 2018 The proposed legislation would have outlawed bias motivated crimes with the intent to harm or intimidate individuals of certain characteristics, such as race, gender, religion and sexual orientation. Similar measures have failed the previous two years during the Legislative Session. Committee chair Senator Mike Young said he couldn’t find consensus and didn’t bring a vote or hear amendments on the bill. Opponents say hate-crime laws create specially protected classes, which leads to victims of similar crimes being treated differently. To date, 45 states have adopted hate crime laws. Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody issued the following statement after Statehouse Republicans killed Senate Bill 418: “Governor Holcomb failed to lift a finger as his GOP allies sabotaged a push to outlaw hate crimes in Indiana. Republicans reinforced just how out-of-touch they are with the majority of Hoosiers, blocking a policy nearly two-thirds of Hoosiers support and 45 other states have enacted. Today’s action proves Statehouse Republicans are more than willing to jeopardize Indianapolis’ shot at landing Amazon’s second headquarters to appease shadowy special interests. Holcomb’s inaction and Republicans’ appeasement of special interests may have just cost Hoosiers 50,000 good-paying jobs. Call this what it is: a shameful disappearing act and failure of leadership from the governor.” RELATED STORIES: Hoosier State Lacking Hate-Crime Laws