ATLANTA – State Representative Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain), chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (GLBC), today issued the following statement in response to the increasing calls for the final passage of House Bill 426, bipartisan hate crimes legislation which passed the Georgia House of Representatives in 2019 and is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee:
“Since the unfortunate killing of Ahmaud Arbery on February 23, there have been renewed calls for the final passage of House Bill 426, which is a bipartisan measure I cosponsored to further address hate crimes in Georgia. Clearly, the statutes in place are not enough. As a state, we need to be unequivocal in our opposition to racial and other forms of violence. The final passage of HB 426 will be an excellent first step towards sending that message.
“We are asking all Georgians to contact Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jesse Stone to voice your support for passing HB 426, hate crimes legislation. Georgia cannot condone hate of any kind.”
Established in 1975, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus is a 501(c)3 non-profit, nonpartisan organization comprised of 65 Georgia House and Senate members.
For more information about the GLBC, please click here.
For more information on House Bill 426, please click here.
Representative Karen Bennett represents the citizens of Districts 94, which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and currently serves on the Code Revision, Economic Development & Tourism, Health & Human Services and Regulated Industries committees.
###