WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday applauded the Senate passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, legislation aimed to address the ongoing surge in hate crimes and violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.  

“In the past year, we’ve seen a disturbing rise in racist rhetoric and hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will help address the surge in violence against the AAPI community by improving the reporting process, assigning a point person at the Department of Justice to focus on the speedy review of COVID-19 related hate crimes, and providing resources for public education campaigns to mitigate racially discriminatory language. This bill takes an important step toward ensuring justice for the AAPI community, and I’m glad we have a Majority Leader and president who is willing to get such important legislation signed into law,” said Murphy.

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