Hate-crimes bill fails again.Republicans have thwarted thwart tr.v. thwart·ed, thwart·ing, thwarts 1. To prevent the occurrence, realization, or attainment of: They thwarted her plans. 2. the best chance this year at expanding federal hate-crimes protections to include gay men and lesbians. A Senate conference committee on October 5 voted 11-9 to excise the hate-crimes provision that was attached to a defense authorization bill. "I had to make the decision that in the interest of national defense, this bill must be acted upon by the Senate, hopefully favorably, and not be subject to filibuster filibuster, term used to designate obstructionist tactics in legislative assemblies. It has particular reference to the U.S. Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is very strong. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture (i.e. , and therefore I recommended to the Senate conferees and the House that this language in the Senate had to be dropped," said Senate Armed Services Committee The term Armed Services Committee could refer to:
Advocates of the hate-crimes legislation, which would add crimes motivated by sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. , gender, or disability to the list of offenses already covered under a 1968 federal law, decried the vote against it. "The Republican leadership in Congress has sent a shameful message to the nation that undercuts our commitment to civil rights and equal protection of the law equal protection of the law n. the right of all persons to have the same access to the law and courts, and to be treated equally by the law and courts, both in procedures and in the substance of the law. ," said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). "When the chips are down, their true anti-civil rights colors are on full display." |
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