Sign up for free e-mail alerts about breaking news, entertainment tips, daily recipes, sports teams or travel. The Senate passed a hate crimes bill on Monday that contains a list of protected groups, including gays and lesbians, despite Republican objections that have defeated similar legislation for years. The state already has a hate crimes law, but it does not list specific groups that are covered.
Some prosecutors say it is too vague to enforce.
The bill is named the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, for the black man who was killed in 1998 when he was dragged behind a pickup in Jasper, Texas. Republican Gov. Rick Perry said he would decide whether to sign the bill when it makes it to his desk. The House, which already has passed the bill, will be asked to concur with some Senate changes, and the bill could be on its way to the governor in a matter of days. Gov. Rick Perry, who helped foil an earlier attempt to bring the bill to the Senate floor, was cautious but indicated that he now favors such a law. I don't know if there's anything in that bill as written that would be totally and absolutely unacceptable.