FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                       AG
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1996                         (202) 616-2765
                                            TDD (202) 514-1888

             RENO CALLS ON CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE
                 THE HATE CRIME STATISTICS ACT

     WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Attorney General Janet Reno today
called on Congress to reauthorize the Hate Crime Statistics
Act, which enables the Justice Department to collect
statistics on hate crimes from state and local enforcement
agencies.  Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Paul Simon (D-Illinois)
are expected to introduce legislation this month to
reauthorize the Act, which was signed into law by President
Bush in 1990 and expired in December 1995.

     "The continuing problems of hate crime and hate violence
argue strongly for reauthorization of the Hate Crime
Statistics Act.  Hate crimes based on race, religion,
disability, sexual orientation, and ethnicity damage the
social fabric.  They are not part of the American way, and
should be condemned and resisted by all Americans," Reno said.

     "This is why we need to have the Hate Crime Statistics
Act reauthorized by Congress.  Data collected under the Hate
Crime Statistics Act, along with data from private studies,
have begun to give the nation a feel for the magnitude of
these destructive and abhorrent crimes," Reno added.

     "Although the Justice Department has continued to collect
data on hate crimes from state and local law enforcement,
Congressional reauthorization will demonstrate the national
commitment to ensure that this work goes forward," Reno said.  

     Reno's comments came as data were released by the
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects describing hate
crimes aimed at lesbian and gay Americans.  Data regarding
anti-Semitic incidents were released by the Anti-Defamation
League in February.  Data on anti-Asian violence were released
in 1994 by the National Asian Pacific American Legal
Consortium.
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96-105