A hate crimes bill to combat violence against Asian Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic passed the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly on Thursday; a rare bipartisan vote in the evenly divided chamber. “I cannot tell you how important this bill is to the AAPI (Asian-American Pacific Islander) community who often has felt very invisible in our country,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, one of the bill’s authors, following its passage.
- U.S. Congress approves bill aimed at fighting hate crimes against Asian Americans
- ‘We will protect you,’ U.S. senators say after passing anti-Asian hate crimes bill