Hate crimes

Last week, Alabama's House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would impose harsher-than-normal penalties on those who commit crimes based on the victim's sexual orientation. The proposal would add sexual orientation to the list of protected classes that fall under the state's hate crimes statute. Currently, that list includes race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, and physical or mental disability.

The committee approved the bill on a voice vote, so there is no official record of how any individual member voted. However, the AP report linked above mentions that the vote was "sharply divided" along party lines, with Democrats generally in favor, and Republicans opposed.

I'd love to say what I think about this bill, but it looks like the Mobile Register's editorial board has saved me the effort.