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Senate Judiciary Committee hears hours of testimony on hate‑crimes bill; "do not pass" motion fails
Summary
After a full hearing with clergy, civil‑liberties groups and survivors advocating on both sides, the Judiciary Committee declined to adopt a "do not pass" recommendation on Senate Bill 3 following a roll‑call vote, leaving the bill alive for further consideration.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday heard hours of testimony on Senate Bill 3, a proposed hate‑crime enhancement measure, and declined to adopt a committee recommendation to reject the bill.
Senator Jim Hendren, the bill’s sponsor, said SB3 would not create new crimes but would add a sentencing enhancement and reporting requirements for bias‑motivated offenses. "This bill does the best that, I think we can to pass something that sends the message," Hendren told the committee, describing language modeled on recently adopted laws in Utah and Georgia.
Co‑sponsor Senator Joyce Elliott framed the legislation as an effort to address documented patterns of bias‑motivated crime: she cited FBI data and said the bill would allow enhanced penalties after a finding of guilt and require the attorney general to collect and…
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