New York Rep. Grace Meng, who represents an Asian American-rich section of eastern Queens that includes Flushing, said she felt “truly heartened” to see bipartisan support for the bill.
The House passed a bill by unusually bipartisan margins Tuesday to crack down on anti-Asian hate crimes in response to a surge in such attacks during the coronavirus pandemic, sending the measure to President Biden for a final signature. The so-called “COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act,” which was penned by New York Rep. Grace Meng and proposes to give federal authorities better tools to detect, prevent and prosecute anti-Asian bigotry, breezed through the House in a 364-62 vote. Republicans were responsible for all 62 no votes. Biden will sign the bill into law later this week, the White House said. The legislation would require the Justice Department to create a new position tasked with expediting and expanding federal investigation into hate crimes stemming from the false belief that people of Asian descent are responsible for COVID-19.
