Hate crimes bill takes a small step forward

A hate crimes bill surfaced Tuesday, after a tough political fight, and is expected to get its first public hearing sometime next week.

But prospects don't appear promising for the controversial measure. The bill's first hearing will be before the House Judiciary Committee, which has killed similar bills the past three out of four years, said Jim Gonzales, one of several volunteer lobbyists for the measure.

The bill barely made it out of the House Rules Committee after some tense political dealing that forced its sponsor, Rep. David Litvak, D-Salt Lake, to agree to have it assigned to a committee he doesn't sit on.

HB68 seeks to create a penalty enhancement of one step for crimes committed out of bias or prejudice.

Litvack, who is sponsoring it for the fourth straight year, has had broad support from community, civic groups, law enforcement and religious organizations. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement last year that it did not oppose the bill and maintains that position this year, church spokesman Dale Bills said.

On Tuesday, the powerful Alliance for Unity added its voice to those calling for passage of a better hate crimes statute.

"This is an organization dedicated to respect and civility for all Utahns, and, as such, this is an issue we could hardly be silent on," said Alliance executive director Elder Alexander Morrison, an emeritus member of the Quorums of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Alliance was founded by Jon Huntsman Sr. in 2001, to bridge the divide between Utah's religions, communities, political parties and ethnic groups. It counts among its 19 members Huntsman, Morrison, Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the 12 of the LDS Church, Catholic Bishop George Niederauer, Episcopal Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish and banker Spencer Eccles. John Hughes, editor and chief operating officer of the Deseret Morning News, is also a member, as is former Salt Lake Tribune editor Jay Shelledy.

Although the Alliance statement falls short of endorsing HB68, it calls for support of "hate crimes legislation which is effective, enforceable and constitutional. "It further underscore that the state has a "consistent" hate crimes problem and "the current law does not adequately address the issue."

Utah prosecutors and police have long complained that the existing laws are overly broad and unenforceable. The statute is rarely used for that reason, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has said.