The recent unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia is the reason behind an effort to expand Pennsylvania’s hate crimes laws.
Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus Rep. Dan Frankel says current law covers crimes based on race, color, religion or national origin. Pending bills in the House and Senate would also include ancestry, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity.
“We need to finally address hate crimes in Pennsylvania in a comprehensive way,” Frankel said earlier this week. “We need to get this done.”
Legislation passed 15 years ago sought to strengthen the hate crimes statue in the state, but it was struck down on a technicality five years later.