- The Senate on Wednesday voted to pass a bill that would address the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes.
- In a rare dual show, almost all senators voted to advance the bill.
- Insider reached out to the six Republican senators who voted to block the legislation.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
The Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to promote a bill addressing the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Led by Hawaii Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono and New York Representative Grace Meng, the COVID-19 hate crime law will require federal officials to facilitate “the expedited review” of hate crimes.
“It defines COVID-19 hate crime as a violent crime motivated by two things: (1) the actual or perceived characteristic (eg race) of any person, and (2) the actual or alleged relationship to the spread of COVID – 19 of any person as a result of that characteristic, “according to the summary of the bill.
In a rare two-party effort, an overwhelming majority of senators voted 92-6 to advance the bill, bringing it one step closer to passing.
But the legislation may still face a difficult road ahead. Republicans only relied on the procedure on the agreement that they could add amendments to the bill after it progressed: they added 20.
Hirono told HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic: some of the amendments added: “has absolutely nothing to do with the bill.”
Senate leaders will now have to agree on what amendments they should consider to pass the bill “very, very soon,” majority leader Chuck Schumer said in a speech Wednesday.
Here are the six Republicans who voted ‘no’.