Senate Proceeding on Oct 8th, 2009 :: 5:02:45 to 5:09:45
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5:02:41 to 5:03:01( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: is just fine with some as long as boeing wins. mr. president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. a senator: mr. president? the senator from maryland is recognized. mr. cardin: i would ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: it was

5:02:45 to 5:09:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Benjamin L. Cardin

5:03:02 to 5:03:22( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: not in a quo the senator is notified. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president. i rise to -- i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without mr. cardin: mr. president, i rise today to introduce the hate crimes against the homeless statistics act of 2009. i'm joined in this effort by

5:03:23 to 5:03:43( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: senator collins. also joined by the presiding officer, senator brown, senator mikulski, senator and senator schumer. this year marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic murder of john robert mcgram. mr. mcgraham was a well-known

5:03:44 to 5:04:06( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: member of the neighborhood of wilshire, california. in 2008, he was doused with gasoline and set ablaze as he slept. by the time the neighbors ran to his rescues, his clothes were burned off and his face blackened. the attacker had a dislike for

5:04:07 to 5:04:27( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: homeless individuals. not known forothering anyone in the community, he lost his life because of his homeless status. of people gathered at the spot of his death and created a memorial for him. mr. mcgraham is one of the many homeless individuals who suffered hate crimes because

5:04:28 to 5:04:48( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: they were homeless. in "popular men's" magazine, under the title "hunt for the homeless," the following was displayed, kill one for fun. we're 87% sure it's legal. we've heard the horrific stories. a woman sleeping was pushed into a river, a man was beaten,

5:04:49 to 5:05:09( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: soaked in beer and urine and covered with trash. a woman was beaten in the face with a tire iron. and many more unfortunate stories. this behavior should not and cannot be tolerated in our society. what kind o if we allow these types of attacks to continue without standing up against them?

5:05:10 to 5:05:31( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: the hate crimes statistics act of 1990 requires department of justice to collect data from law enforcement agencies about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based upon race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity. in 1994 congress expanded coverage to require reporting of

5:05:32 to 5:05:52( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: crimes based on disability. that provides the needed information to policymakers, law enforcement and communities so they can make informed decisions with how to best proceed with the problems presented to us. the hate crimes against the homess statistics act will again expand coverage by adding homeless status to the list of categories required to be

5:05:53 to 5:06:13( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: reported to the department of justice. in order to measure the level of bias-motivated crimes, data is needed. currently there is a significant problem in establishing a baseline for meani comparison fl the best way to prove or disprove an issue of validity is data collection. according to the national coalition for the homeless who

5:06:14 to 5:06:34( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: has tracked these types of attacks since 1999, they reported an increase in the number of hate crimes targeted at homeless individuals in the last decade. now, if we take the statistics provided by this coalition and compare them to the available statistics collected by the f.b.i., under the hate crimes

5:06:35 to 5:06:55( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: statistics act, the results are startling. the number of hate crimes resulting in death among listed members, those in the statute, is lower than the known number fatal attacks on homeless between 1999 and 2007, the

5:06:56 to 5:07:16( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: were 94 hate crimes fatalities, compared to those directed at homeless individuals. i'm introducing this bill today to get uniformed data collections on these attacks so we have a fiewn formed basis on which to know how serious the problem is. there are approximately 3.5 million people a year who are likely to experience homelessness.

5:07:17 to 5:07:37( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: there are mothers, our fathers, children, they're among the most vulnerable members of our society. veterans account for 20% of our homeless population. families displaced because of domestic violence make up another 28% of the homeless population. with increased funding to provide housing for the homeless, the previous

5:07:38 to 5:07:59( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: administration hadeen a 20% drop in family homelessness, however, because of the current economic crisis, an increase in the homeless population has been reported. the 2008 annual homeless assessment report to congress reveal that the number of ho those in rural and surban areas have increased.

5:08:00 to 5:08:21( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: the number of families seeking shelter increased 9% overall and by nearly 50% in suburban and rural areas. our current economic crisis has reversed the progress that we made between 2005 and 2007. there's also evidence that when state and local budgets are cut, homeless services are affected. with an increase in the

5:08:22 to 5:08:42( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: vulnerable population with the government unable to provide funding at a minimum, we have a duty to report senseless violence against this risk populati. that's what i'm asking for. pure and simple that we find out exactly how many homeless people are being victimized in a uniform way by

5:08:43 to 5:09:04( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: data and information so that we, the policymakers, can make the right policy decisions. homeless people are part of america. every day we see veterans, men, women and families who have been forced by circumstances to live on the streets. we walk by them on our way to work or to go to school. in an

5:09:05 to 5:09:28( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: motivated violence, the first step to realizing -- is to realize the scope of the situation by gathering the data. i urge my colleagues to support this modest legislation so that we are better prepared to deal with this challenge. . president, with that, i would yield the floor, and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk

5:09:35 to 5:09:40( Edit History Discussion )

Benjamin L. Cardin: will call the roll.