The Senate on Thursday cleared legislation to make lynching a federal crime. The bill, introduced by Sens. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisBiden, Bass press for police reform after meeting Floyd family Biden, Harris condemn surge in antisemitic incidents Mexican president: FAA safety downgrade meant to benefit US carriers MORE (D-Calif.), Cory Booker Cory BookerBiden, Bass press for police reform after meeting Floyd family Bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduces bill to give inmates Medicaid access Bass: 'Essential' for police reform bill to address qualified immunity MORE (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott Timothy (Tim) Eugene ScottBiden, Bass press for police reform after meeting Floyd family GOP senators introduce resolution condemning antisemitic violence amid 'horrific' spike in attacks Bass: 'Essential' for police reform bill to address qualified immunity MORE (R-S.C.), makes lynching punishable as a hate crime. ADVERTISEMENT The bill previously passed the Senate in December, but it did not clear the then-GOP controlled House before the end of the 115th Congress. It passed on Thursday by a voice vote. Booker said that "lynching is not a relic of the past," pointing to the attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago. "Justice for the victims of lynching has been too long denied, and as we look forward we must collectively in this body make a strong, unequivocal statement," he added. Harris, speaking from the Senate floor, added that lynching is a part of the country's "uncomfortable history" that had never been "truly acknowledged" or "reconciled" with. "We must confront hate in our country. ... We are now making clear there will be serious, swift and severe consequences," said Harris, who along with Booker is running for the party's 2020 nomination for president. Congress has tried but failed to pass anti-lynching legislation roughly 200 times since 1918, according to Harris's office. In 2005, the Senate passed a resolution apologizing to lynching victims. But, addressing the 2005 vote, the Senate legislation says that while an apology "moves the United States toward reconciliation and may become central to a new understanding, on which improved racial relations can be forged," legislation criminalizing lynching is still "wholly necessary and appropriate." The measure will now go to the House.<doc-sep>Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. (CNN) — Two competitors for the 2020 Democratic nomination joined forces Thursday in a renewed effort to pass their anti-lynching legislation. The Senate passed the legislation from California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott last year, but the House never took up the measure. On Thursday, the Senate again passed the bill via unanimous consent. If signed into law, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act would outline the specific killing of lynching, noting its violent and racist legacy, and add it to the federal list of hate crimes. As Booker’s office noted Thursday, the vote followed more than a century of efforts to outlaw lynching that have failed to pass. Following Thursday’s unanimous vote in the Senate, the bill would then go to the House before President Donald Trump can sign it into law. Thursday’s vote was also notable also due to the nascent political rivalry between the bill’s sponsors. Harris and Booker each recently announced they would seek their party’s nomination next year to challenge Trump for the White House, and they showed no ill will during Thursday’s vote, even wishing each other a “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Asked about Booker being an opponent in the primary, Harris said the two were friends with “a great deal of affection and respect for each other.” “We’ve worked together on many issues over a long time, over many years, frankly, even before I got to the Senate,” Harris said. “This is an historic day. We’re both very proud of the work that we’ve done together.” Booker said they had been working on the bill “quite a bit,” and when asked if he felt dynamics had changed in the Senate with himself and other Democrats running against each other, Booker said his colleagues were “sisters and brothers.” “There have always been sibling rivalries throughout history, but at the end of the day, there is still family,” Booker said.<doc-sep>Harris recounted the history of lynching in the United States and the 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in rural Mississippi. Till, who was visiting from Chicago, was murdered after he was accused of whistling at and making sexual advances toward a white woman. The teen was kidnapped Aug. 28, 1955, and was tortured and shot. His mangled body was found days later in the Tallahatchie River.<doc-sep>The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act was first introduced by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who was also joined by Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.). The bipartisan bill is the first piece of legislation to make lynching punishable as a hate crime. In December 2018, the bill previously passed the Senate; however, when it was introduced to the then-GOP controlled House, it was not cleared. “According to data from the Equal Justice Initiative, lynching was used as an instrument of terror and intimidation 4,084 times during the late 19th and 20th centuries. From 1882 to 1986, Congress failed to pass anti-lynching legislation 200 times,” read an official press release from the office of Kamala Harris. During her address on the Senate floor, the 2020 presidential candidate led a call to make the horrendous act of lynching a federal crime. “Lynchings were acts of violence—they were horrendous acts of violence, and they were motivated by racism,” said Harris. “With this bill, we finally have a chance to speak the truth about our past and make clear that these hateful acts should never happen again. We can finally offer some long overdue justice and recognition to the victims of lynching and their families.” Booker also explained how "lynching is not a relic past," which was made abundantly clear during the recent homophobic and racist attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago. “Today’s Senate passage of the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act is a historic step towards acknowledging a long and painful history and codifying into law our commitment to confronting bias-motivated acts of terror in all of its forms. I urge the House of Representatives to take up this bill so that after over 100 years and 200 attempts, we can finally make lynching a federal crime,” Booker said. Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is the only other Black Senator, also spoke on the monumental bill. “Today the Senate sent a strong signal that this nation will not stand for the hate and violence spread by those with evil in their hearts,” said Scott. “I look forward to this important legislation ending up on the President’s desk for signature.” The measure will now go to the House, where it is expected to be passed by the Democratic majority.<doc-sep>
Tim Scott, Kamala Harris, Corey Booker Photo : Getty Images On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would make lynching a federal crime. The bill, which was introduced in June by Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), had previously passed in the Senate in December, but did not pass in the GOP-majority House before the end of the 115th Congress. The Hill reports that the bill passed Thursday with a voice vote. While discussing the bill, Booker cited the recent reported attack in Chicago against actor Jussie Smollett of Empire fame and said that “lynching is not a relic of the past.” “Justice for the victims of lynching has been too long denied, and as we look forward we must collectively in this body make a strong, unequivocal statement,” he added. Harris called lynching a part of the country’s “uncomfortable history” that she said has never been “truly acknowledged” or “reconciled.” “We must confront hate in our country. ... We are now making clear there will be serious, swift and severe consequences,” Harris said. According to the text of the bill (pdf), “the crime of lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of racism in the United States following Reconstruction.” Lynching was a “widely acknowledged practice in the United States until the middle of the 20th century ” th at “occurred throughout the United States, with documented incidents in all but 4 States.” Between 1882 and 1968, at least 4,742 primarily black people were lynched, and 99 percent of all perpetrators went unpunished. The bill also notes that there have been roughly 200 attempts to pass anti-lynching legislation in Congress since 1918, and between 1890 and 1952, seven U.S. presidents petitioned Congress to end lynching. “Protection against lynching was the minimum and most basic of federal responsibilities, and the Senate considered but failed to enact anti-lynching legislation despite repeated requests by civil rights groups, Presidents, and the House of Representatives to do so,” the bill reads. On June 13, 2005, the Senate passed a resolution to apologize to victims of lynching and their descendants “for the failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation.” The bill deems “it is wholly necessary and appropriate for the Congress to enact legislation, after 100 years of unsuccessful legislative efforts, finally to make lynching a Federal crime.” The bill will now move to the House for approval.