BEN NUCKOLS
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland became the first state in the nation to extend hate-crimes protection to homeless people under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Martin O’Malley.
The bill adds homelessness to the protected categories under Maryland’s hate-crimes law, which allows prosecutors to seek tougher penalties for those who target people because of factors such as race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.
State Sen. Alex Mooney, the bill’s sponsor, said the homeless are particularly vulnerable and deserve protection. He introduced the bill four years running before it was finally approved.
"Every year you didn’t pass the bill, attacks on the homeless kept happening," Mooney said.
But Mooney said he concluded that since hate crimes were well-established in Maryland law, other groups should be added even if they lack "political clout." He said he wasn’t motivated by a specific attack on a homeless person but learned about the problem through news reports about several incidents.
Successful efforts by another lawmaker to add gender and disability to the hate-crimes law ultimately helped push Mooney’s bill out of committee, and it was approved last month, on the final day of the legislative session. The new law takes effect Oct. 1.
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
