House passes bill aimed at combating hate crimes against Asian Americans

Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.)
(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

With a vote of 364-62, the House on Tuesday passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which directs the Justice Department to appoint an official to expedite a review of coronavirus-related hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

All of the opposing votes were from Republicans. The Senate approved the legislation 94-1 in April, with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) the lone vote against it. President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law later this week.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.