Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

A5
U.S. NEWS Thursday 4 april 2019
Indiana governor signs hate crimes measure into law

By RICK CALLAHAN and vague language of SB wrote Sullivan, who was ap-
Associated Press 198 dilutes the legislation’s pointed to Indiana’s high
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — In- ostensible intent and pre- court in 1993 by Democrat-
diana Gov. Eric Holcomb vents it from being a real ic Gov. Evan Bayh and re-
signed legislation Wednes- hate crimes law,” she said tired in 2012.
day aimed at getting Indi- in her statement. A Senate committee had
ana off a list of five states Indiana’s law will allow passed another hate
without a hate crimes law, judges to impose longer crimes bill in February, but
saying that the conserva- sentences for crimes mo- a few days later the state
tive Midwestern state has tivated by bias and refers Senate stripped out a list of
“made progress and taken to Indiana’s bias crimes specific protected traits , in-
a strong stand against tar- reporting statute that men- cluding sexual orientation,
geted violence.” tions color, creed, disabil- gender identity and race.
The Republican governor ity, national origin, race, Members of the House vot-
signed the measure into religion and sexual orienta- ed 57-39 last week to ad-
law one day after the GOP- In this Jan. 15, 2019 file photo, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb tion, but doesn’t explicitly vance the legislation after
dominated state Senate delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the cover age, sex or gender new language was added
voted 34-14 to approve the legislature at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. identity. to an unrelated bill.
bill’s bias crimes language. Associated Press The law, however, says bias House Speaker Brian Bosma
Several Democratic sena- covers all characteristics without hate crimes pro- can also be considered said Tuesday that the legis-
tors urged its defeat, saying and traits, whether express- tections. due to the “victim’s or the lation “meets or exceeds”
it falls short of what’s need- ly listed or not. It’s unclear whether the group’s real or perceived bias crimes statutes on the
ed because its language Holcomb said in a state- law will result in Indiana be- characteristic, trait, belief, books in 21 other states
does not explicitly cover ment after signing the leg- ing removed from that list. practice, association, or “and all of those states are
age, sex or gender identity. islation, which takes effect The ADL said Friday that the other attribute.” off the list of states without
The bill’s passage and Hol- July 1, that “our goal was legislation “does not meet A former Indiana Supreme a bias crimes law.”
comb’s signing it into law to achieve a comprehen- our standard for a real and Court justice, Frank Sullivan, “There’s no reasonable as-
comes after repeated sive law that protects those effective hate crimes bill in Jr., said in a letter he sent sertion as to why this all-
attempts to pass a bias who are the targets of bias 2019.” Wednesday to Holcomb inclusive measure doesn’t
crimes law in Indiana failed crimes, and we have ac- Jessica Gall, the co-Interim that the law’s language “is take Indiana off the list,” he
amid fierce opposition from complished just that.” regional director of ADL legally sufficient” to enable said in a statement.
conservatives who said it “We have made progress Midwest, did not immedi- Indiana trial court judges to In 2015, then-Gov. Mike
would unfairly create spe- and taken a strong stand ately reply to messages left impose harsher sentences, Pence signed a religious
cially-protected classes of against targeted violence. Wednesday asking wheth- including “for a crime com- protections law that critics
victims and wrongly restrict I am confident our judges er the new law is sufficient mitted with bias due to the widely panned as sanc-
free speech. will increase punishment for to get Indiana off its list. victim’s gender or gender tioning of discrimination
Holcomb had pushed for those who commit crimes But Gall said in a statement identity.” against lesbian, gay, bisex-
more comprehensive leg- motivated by bias un- earlier Wednesday that the “Just because a character- ual and transgender peo-
islation with an enumer- der this law,” he said in his ADL does not consider In- istic or trait is not specifical- ple. After the state faced
ated list of traits that in- statement. diana’s law “to be an ad- ly listed does not prevent it boycott threats, lawmakers
clude gender and gender The Anti-Defamation equate hate crimes law.” from being used to impose made changes to the law
identity. But he and other League lists Indiana as one “The failure to explicitly list a harsher sentence ... Indi- to prevent it from being
Republicans argued that of five states, along with gender identity, gender, ana now joins as it should used to justify discrimina-
the measure covers all 6.6 Georgia, South Carolina, or sex is unacceptable. In the mainstream of states in tion against LGBT people in
million Hoosiers because it Wyoming and Arkansas, addition, the overbroad punishing crimes of bias,” the state.q

Federal agency to investigate

Texas chemical plant fire

CROSBY, Texas (AP) — The leased. An autopsy found nearby Deer Park .
U.S. Chemical Safety Board that Mangum’s acciden- All operations at the KMCO
announced Wednesday tal death was caused by plant are suspended indefi-
that it will investigate a fire “sharp force injuries” that nitely and the site is under
at a Houston area chemi- cut a major artery and vein control of Texas fire officials,
cal plant as the facility’s op- in his right arm, a spokes- according to the compa-
erator identified the worker man for Harris County Insti- ny.
killed in the blaze. tute of Forensic Sciences Fire investigators haven’t
James Earl Mangum was said. yet been able to enter the
killed in the Tuesday fire at The Chemical Safety plant because of ongoing
a KMCO chemical plant Board, an independent clean up and emergency
in Crosby, about 25 miles federal agency that inves- operations, said Rachel
(40 kilometers) northeast tigates industrial chemical Moreno of the Harris Coun-
of Houston, a company incidents, said it will join ty Fire Marshal’s Office.
spokesman said. The two other agencies probing the County officials said
other workers who were cause of the deadly fire. Wednesday that ongo-
injured during the blaze re- It is also investigating the ing air monitoring shows This aerial photo shows the KMCO chemical plant as firefighters
main in critical condition. March 17 blaze at a petro- no health risks to the area spray water on a fire on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Crosby, Texas.
Their identities were not re- chemical storage facility in around the plant.q Associated Press