Religious groups join effort to convince Georgia lawmakers to pass a hate crimes law
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ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — A coalition of religious organizations will descend upon the Georgia Capitol Wednesday hoping to convince lawmakers to pass a hate crimes law.
The two main groups behind the effort are the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta and the newly formed Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center.
Georgia had a hate crimes law 20 years ago, but the state supreme court struck it down saying it was too vague.
Since then, some lawmakers have said a hate crimes law isn’t necessary, saying the government shouldn’t be in the business of policing people’s thoughts. Every crime has an element of hate, they said.
However, a new hate crime bill picked up steam last year. The sponsors of House Bill 426 include both Republicans and Democrats. It passed in the House in 2019. It must pass this year in the Senate in order to land on Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his consideration.
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