President Joe Biden recently signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, which was passed with 62 House Republicans in opposition and one Republican opposed in the Senate.

This bill addresses hate crimes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on the increase in violence against Asian Americans. Representative for Iowa’s 2nd District Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted in favor of what she says is a very strong, bipartisan piece of legislation, “And I think it’s important that we have a message that hate crimes cannot be tolerated, that we welcome the diversity in thought, in appearance, and that we want that diversity that it brings to make us stronger. As a nation of immigrants, and legal immigrants, we have all benefited.”

The bill aims to make the reporting of hate crimes more accessible at the local and state levels by boosting public outreach and ensuring reporting resources are available online in multiple languages. It also directs the Department of Justice to designate a point person to expedite the review of hate crimes related to COVID-19 and authorizes grants to state and local governments to conduct crime-reduction programs to prevent and respond to hate crimes.