Condemning recent hate crimes committed against Asian-American and Pacific Islanders.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 153 Condemning recent hate crimes committed against Asian-American and Pacific Islanders. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 23, 2021 Mrs. STEEL (for herself, Ms. PORTER, Mrs. KIM of California, Mr. CALVERT, Mrs. HINSON, Mr. CORREA, and Mr. LOWENTHAL) submitted the fol- lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Condemning recent hate crimes committed against Asian- American and Pacific Islanders. Whereas following the spread of COVID–19 in 2020, there has been a dramatic increase in hate crimes and violence against Asian-American and Pacific Islanders; Whereas between March 19, 2020, and December 31, 2020, there have been 2,808 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian and Pacific Islander hate crimes from 47 States and the District of Columbia; Whereas during this timeframe, race has been cited as the primary reason for discrimination, making up over 90 percent of incidents; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Feb 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR153.IH HR153 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 153 IH Whereas roughly 38 percent of Asian-American and Pacific Islander businesses have been the top targets of discrimi- nation incidents during this time period; Whereas during this time, Asian-American and Pacific Is- lander youth under 20 years old make up roughly 14 per- cent of hate crime victims; Whereas during this time, Asian-American and Pacific Is- lander elderly over 60 years old make up around 8 per- cent of hate crime victims; Whereas, on January 28, 2021, Vicha Ratanapakdee died from injuries after being horrifically attacked in front of his home; Whereas the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Los Angeles has warned Thai people in California to be on their guard following the killing of Vicha Ratanapakdee; and Whereas Asian-American and Pacific Islanders have made significant contributions to American culture, own over 2,000,000 businesses in the United States, and are an es- sential thread in the diverse fabric of American life: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) affirms that the United States stands 2 united in condemning and denouncing any and all 3 anti-Asian and Pacific Islander sentiment in any 4 form; 5 (2) condemns all manifestations of expressions 6 of racism, and anti-Asian and Pacific Islander or 7 ethnic intolerance; and 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Feb 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR153.IH HR153 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 153 IH (3) calls on Federal law enforcement officials, 1 working with State and local officials— 2 (A) to expeditiously and vigorously inves- 3 tigate all reports of Asian-American and Pacific 4 Islander hate crimes and threats in the United 5 States; 6 (B) to work to improve the reporting of 7 Asian-American and Pacific Islander hate 8 crimes; and 9 (C) to hold the perpetrators of those 10 crimes, incidents, or threats accountable and 11 bring the perpetrators to justice. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Feb 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR153.IH HR153 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS