Action Alert (sent to all LWVSC members)

LWVSC strongly supports H.3620, which will provide enhanced penalties for hate crimes. Please take action before Tuesday to urge
your representative to support this bill! Please contact your SC representative, who is a member of the Constitutional Laws Subcommittee, as soon as possible to urge support for H.3620, a Hate Crimes Bill. The subcommittee will consider the bill on Tuesday morning, March 9. (See Talking Points below.)

Calling is much preferred! A friendly office assistant will answer. Identify yourself as a constituent of the representative and provide your personal perspective on the bill. Do not use email unless you put CONSTITUENT in the subject line. Many legislators do

not open their emails. It is more effective to call. 

TALKING POINTS:
South Carolina is one of the few states that does not provide enhanced penalties for crimes conducted against a victim intentionally selected in whole or in part on the basis of the victim’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, or disability. It is time to remedy that deficiency, and H. 3620, to be considered before the Constitutional Laws Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee next Tuesday morning, March 9, at 10:30 AM, would do that. The bill provides enhanced penalties for a wide variety of offenses against persons and property, and permits both criminal and civil remedies.
Contact your House member, who is a member of this subcommittee, and ask them to support this bill. It is essential that South Carolina join the many other states that have sent a clear message that hate-motivated attacks on persons and property will not be tolerated.