PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee moved a series of bills that Democrats say would modernize hate crime laws. Republicans, however, say they would police people’s thoughts.
Pittsburgh Democrat Dan Frankel represents the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where 11 people were killed and six others wounded when a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018.
“He attacked the collective sense of safety and our sense of belonging in the broader community around us,” he said.
The four bills would be the first update to Pennsylvania hate crime laws in 40 years.
“It gives victims the right to seek damages,” Frankel explained. “It provides training to police and educators. It makes these crimes easier to report in some circumstances, and it gives individuals convicted of ethnic intimidation the opportunity to learn and change course.”
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While Republican Paul Schemel understands the intended goals, he worries about unintended consequences. People may deplore racism or other forms of discrimination, but it’s “not a crime to be discriminatory,” he said.
“In other regards, it’s not a crime to hate anyone that you prefer to hate. If we make that an element of a crime, therefore, I think that we criminalize thought itself,” he added.
The bills passed committee on party lines and now goes to the full House for consideration.