At a press conference on Wednesday January 10, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus announced that State Rep. Karen Bennett, D-Stone Mountain, and State Senator Lester Jackson, D-Savannah would be filing bills in their respective chambers that would create new hate crime offenses in state law.
The legislation, Senate Bill 316 and House Bill 663, would create new offenses when someone is accused of committing an assault, battery or destruction of property based on someone’s race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity.
The following example was offered. If someone were convicted of aggravated battery against a person protected by the law, he or she would face five to 20 years in prison. Current law requires someone convicted of aggravated battery to be sentenced to at least one year.
When asked about a similar legislation, House Bill 660, filed by state Representative Meagan Hanson, D-Brookhaven which states “a person first would be convicted of a crime, such as aggravated battery, and then a jury could increase that person’s sentence by anywhere from three months to two years, based on the severity of the crime, members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus said the bill does not go far enough.
“Crime driven by hate and malice requires penalties that deter people and provide justice to its victims,” said Senator Jackson, who serves as the caucus chairman.
Georgia is one of only five states that does not have a hate crimes law on the books. The Georgia Supreme Court struck down a 2000 hate crimes law in 2004 for being “unconstitutionally vague.”
The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus Inc. is a non-profit with the mission to educate and inspire those with the ability to enact legislation that affects people of color and the disadvantaged in the State of Georgia. The GLBC is the largest black caucus in the United States.
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