The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
May 21, 2021

Biden Signs Law Addressing Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans
--------------------------------------------------------------

President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law Thursday,
which was introduced to address the skyrocketing rates of crimes against
Asian Americans during the pandemic. Vice President Kamala Harris, the
first Asian American to hold the job, spoke ahead of the signing.

Vice President Kamala Harris: "This bill brings us one step closer to
stopping hate, not only for Asian Americans, but for all Americans. It
will expedite the Justice Department's review of hate crimes, every type
of hate crime. It will designate an official at the department to
oversee the effort. And it will expand efforts to make the reporting of
hate crimes more accessible at the local and state levels."



.