Harper votes against hate crime provisions in defense bill

Harper votes against hate crime provisions in defense bill

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R–Miss.) voted today against the Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 due to hate crimes provisions that were attached to the legislation by the U.S. Senate.

“This reckless language that would criminalize thought should be removed from a bill that is intended to benefit our men and women in uniform,” said Congressman Gregg Harper. “It is unfortunate that the Democratic leadership would jeopardize our national security interests by combining two completely unrelated bills in order to promote their liberal social agenda.”

The House of Representatives passed its version of the defense authorization bill on June 25th by a vote of 389 – 22, which Harper supported. While the legislation was being debated in the Senate, Democratic leaders added hate crimes provisions that would among other things eliminate the concept of equal justice by injecting race and sexual orientation into the criminal justice system. The conference committee retained the amended language in the conference report when it returned to the House for final consideration.

For the past several years, the Senate attached similar hate crimes provisions to the Defense Authorization Act because of its “must pass” status. In prior years, the language was stripped from the bill while in conference committee. This year, the hate crimes language survived conference due to large Democratic majorities in both houses and a President that is likely to sign the legislation with this language.

“Congress should separate these two issues and properly fund our national defense,” added Harper. “Our soldiers deserve better.”

Harper, a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, opposed the hate crimes bill (H.R. 1913) in committee and voted no on a floor vote on April 29th, although the bill passed by a vote of 249 – 175.

NOTE: A vote against the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 Conference Report is not a vote against national defense; it is a vote to return the bill to conference committee so the non-related hate crimes provisions can be removed from the legislation.

Harper presser
10/7/9