Hate Crimes Prevention Act will be signed by Obama
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed in the Senate in Washington D.C. on October 22.
The act would make it a federal crime to assault persons because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The federal hate crimes law will be passed on to President Obama, who has pledged to sign the measure. President George W. Bush threatened to veto a similar measure in the previous administration.
