I Was Afraid Of This

This was one of my comments on the council... that they would try to gut the existing laws!

CT governor seeks to revise hate crime laws. Why the measure met opposition

Hartford Courant

By Livi Stanford

March 11, 2025

Connecticut lawmakers are considering Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed law which would consolidate and strengthen the state’s existing hate crime statutes into a new chapter of state laws, making it easier for police and prosecutors to charge and prosecute criminals with those particular crimes, according to the governor’s office.

HB 6872, which originates from the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council, also modifies the intent standard, removing the element that a defendant must have acted “maliciously.”

The Judiciary Committee heard public testimony on the bill Monday, with opponents of the bill citing concerns about what they referred to as vague language in the bill, which they fear would be used to suppress free speech and others citing lack of clarity in several sections of the bill. But advocates for the bill, including the executive assistant states attorney for the Division of Criminal Justice and the commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, argue that it would make the state a safer place and increase sentences for hate-motivated felonies and misdemeanors.

We saw this back when we tried to do this back in around 2011. 

Kathryn Bare, executive assistant state’s attorney for the Division of Criminal Justice, told the committee that Connecticut doesn’t have crimes that are labeled hate crimes, explaining the state’s current hate crime laws are a patchwork of more than 20 statutes scattered across multiple titles and chapters of the general statutes. She said there lacks uniformity of who is protected under each particular section.

Keep this in mind when you read what some of the comments are...

Sohall Lokhandwalla, a South Windsor resident, expressed concerns about what he referred to as “vague language” in the bill which he fears could be used as a potential weapon against fair expression of free speech.

Once again, this bill doesn't change any of the existing laws... it only consolidate the existing laws.

Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, also expressed concerns about expanding penalties for those who commit crimes while wearing masks, asking Bare in a potential scenario if a 19-year-old was wearing a mask berating a shop keeper for being old could he face a Class D felony.

[...]

Sen Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, said he also had concerns about the mask language in the bill.

Once again, this bill doesn't change any of the existing laws... it only consolidate the existing laws.

I remember the exact same debate fourteen years ago! When we added gender identity and expression to the non-discrimination bill. The exact debate! I don't remember the legislator who brought up the question about the masks and the answer was also exactly the same... it is in the existing laws!

My UConn wrote...

Currently,  there are 20 separate hate crime statutes created over a 100-year period. This has created confusion as the statutes differ on what is covered and who is protected, as well as what hate crimes were covered by which statute. The new bill aims for consistency to make the law clear.

“The proposal puts all the hate crimes in one place in the criminal code,” Pandya said at a news conference held by the governor. “That makes it easier for police to find them. It makes them more consistent in what they require and who they protect. That makes the law easier to understand and enforce. It adds hate crime penalty enhancements for crimes involving physical injury or property damage, including for murder, arson, and other more serious crimes.”

Yup, that is what it does... put all the laws under one roof.

In 1982 masks were added to the non-discrimination laws! This is nothing new! Will the bill make through the legislative process unscarred? Will my prediction to council be true?