Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), the author of the soon to be reintroduced bipartisan Jabara-Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act, today called upon Congress to enact the NO HATE Act in response to an alarming rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

“The Asian American community has been raising the alarm about a horrifying wave of hate crimes across the country, and Congress must respond by passing the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act,” said Beyer. “As we try to make sense of the awful tragedy in Atlanta, it is an undeniable fact that this horrible mass shooting took place against a backdrop of rising anti-Asian violence and rhetoric. History tells us that many hate crimes will not be reported to the FBI, and it is more important than ever that Congress fix this problem. And it is vital that leaders across the country condemn this wave of hate crimes against Asian Americans.”

Beyer’s statement came as the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing titled Discrimination and Violence Against Asian Americans. One of the witnesses in the hearing, Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, testified that, “it is important to pass critical legislation like Congressman Beyer’s NO HATE Act.”

The House previously passed the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act as a section of the Heroes Act twice in 2020, but the bill was never taken up in the Senate. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is the Senate sponsor of the NO HATE Act.