Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
E31184
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a U.S. federal law that expands hate crime protections to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability and strengthens federal enforcement of such offenses.
Aliases (2)
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States federal law
→
hate crime law → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Matthew Shepard Act
→
Shepard–Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act → |
| amends |
18 U.S.C. § 249
→
|
| appliesTo |
attempts to cause bodily injury using a dangerous weapon
→
violent crimes causing bodily injury → |
| authorizes |
federal investigation of certain hate crimes
→
federal prosecution of certain hate crimes → |
| category |
civil rights legislation
→
criminal law → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| covers |
crimes motivated by actual characteristics of the victim
→
crimes motivated by perceived characteristics of the victim → |
| dateSigned |
2009-10-28
→
|
| effectiveDate |
2009-10-28
→
|
| enactedBy |
111th United States Congress
→
|
| extendsProtectionTo |
victims targeted because of color
→
victims targeted because of disability → victims targeted because of gender → victims targeted because of gender identity → victims targeted because of national origin → victims targeted because of race → victims targeted because of religion → victims targeted because of sexual orientation → |
| includes |
penalty enhancements for hate crime offenses
→
|
| introducedIn |
United States House of Representatives
→
United States Senate → |
| jurisdiction |
federal and, in some cases, concurrent with state authorities
→
|
| legalBasis |
Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution
→
|
| namedAfter |
James Byrd Jr.
→
Matthew Shepard → |
| partOf |
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
→
|
| prohibits |
willfully causing bodily injury because of a protected characteristic
→
|
| provides |
federal assistance in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes
→
federal grants to state and local law enforcement for hate crime investigations → |
| purpose |
to expand federal hate crime protections
→
|
| relatedTo |
18 U.S.C. § 245
→
Civil Rights Act of 1968 → |
| removesRequirement |
that the victim be engaged in a federally protected activity
→
|
| scope |
applies to conduct affecting interstate or foreign commerce
→
|
| shortName |
Shepard–Byrd Act
→
|
| signedBy |
Barack Obama
→
|
| strengthens |
federal enforcement of hate crime laws
→
|
| subjectMatter |
bias-motivated violence
→
|
| titleOfPublicLaw |
Public Law 111-84, Division E
→
|
| yearIntroduced |
2009
→
|
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
("Matthew Shepard Act")
→
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act ("Shepard–Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act") → |
alsoKnownAs |
|
Civil Rights Division
→
|
legalAuthority |
|
111th United States Congress
→
|
passes |