Biden Administration Signs the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act Into Law

KAAGNY lauds the Biden administration's passing of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which expedites reviews of anti-Asian hate crimes to the Department of Justice. The law also provides guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies to report hate incidents, expand public education campaigns, and issue guidance to combat discriminatory language and rhetoric in describing the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Biden was joined by Asian American representatives, including Grace Meng, Mazie Hirono, and Tammy Duckworth, as he signed the bill into law.

The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Hirono and Rep. Meng, directs the Department of Justice to:

• Designate a DOJ employee to assist with expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes reported to federal, state, and/or local law enforcement;

• Provide guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies to:

  • establish online reporting of hate crimes or incidents, and to have online reporting available in multiple languages;

  • expand culturally competent and linguistically appropriate public education campaigns, and collection of data and public reporting of hate crimes; and

• Issue guidance detailing best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID–19 pandemic, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the COVID–19 Health Equity Task Force and community-based organizations.