Omaha, Neb. – Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass antilynching legislation this year by bringing H.R. 35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, to the Senate floor for a vote. 

The language of H.R. 35 was previously passed by the Senate in February 2019 as Senator Kamala Harris’ legislation, S. 488 the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act. Rep. Bacon introduced the same legislation in the House of Representatives and that language was amended into Rep. Bobby Rush’s H.R. 35, which passed in the House earlier this year. Therefore, in order to get this language signed into law, H.R. 35 needs to pass the Senate again before it can be sent to the President for signature, despite its previous successful passage in the Senate.    

“With more details emerging about the tragic killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia this past February, Congress must set aside partisan politics and pass this legislation,” said Rep. Bacon in the letter to Leader McConnell. “This is the closest any anti-lynching legislation has ever come to becoming law and we must work to get this legislation over the finish line.”

H.R. 35 amends the United States Code to criminalize lynching and provide for enhanced sentencing under existing federal hate crime statutes. The bill recognizes that a lynching offense is a tool used to intimidate and deny civil rights based on personal prejudices, while increasing the penalties for completed violations from five years, to 10 years.

“This bill should easily pass the Senate as the same exact language was previously passed,” said Rep. Bacon. “There should be no opposition from either side to see this all the way to the President’s desk.”

A copy of the letter is linked here.

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