After years of stalling in the Utah Legislature, a bill to strengthen the state’s hate crimes law has now cleared both chambers by commanding margins.
The Utah House on Tuesday night passed it by a vote of 64-9 following an emotional debate, during which lawmakers talked about individuals who have been victimized because of their race, ethnicity or religion.
“Our law doesn’t work. We have to fix it,” Rep. Lee Perry, the bill’s House sponsor, told his colleagues ahead of the vote.
Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, who has long worked to beef up the state’s hate crimes law, stood on the House floor behind Perry, R-Perry, as the debate unfolded and embraced supporters of the bill after the vote.