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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Senate OKs Hate Crime Expansion

Item: Senate passes hate crimes bill 68-29: Now heads to President Obama's desk for signature/Baltimore Sun

More Info: A bill to make violence against gays and lesbians a federal crime cleared the Senate Thursday and is headed to the White House for final approval. The 68-29 vote was a victory for civil rights groups that have been fighting for years to expand the federal hate-crimes law beyond attacks motivated by bias based on religion, race, national origin or color. The new bill, which President Obama is expected to sign, includes penalties for assaults based on a victim's sexual orientation, gender, disability or gender identity.

Question: Idaho's U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch voted against the legislation. What do you think of that?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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