A hate crime is a criminal act committed because of a certain characteristic of the victim.

Maryland’s hate crimes law dates back to 1988 when House Bill 1095 was enacted. I introduced that bill.

Five years later, I attended the oral argument at the Supreme Court on Wisconsin’s hate crimes statute. In a unanimous decision, Chief Justice Rehnquist held that the law did not violate the First Amendment.

Today I testified in support of House Bill 240.

It is already against the law to threaten to commit a criminal act. My bill would add such crimes to the hate crimes law.

What prompted me to introduce HB 240?

In 2017, bomb threats were emailed to the Jewish Community Centers in the Baltimore and Washington areas.

That email was read in full to the Judiciary Committee today. It was harrowing.

An identical bill failed in the Judiciary Committee last year. Starting tomorrow, I will ask the members what they thought of today’s hearing.