Hate crime bill filed prior to Georgia legislative session

ATLANTA (AP) – A Georgia state lawmaker has proposed hate crime legislation, saying it’s time for the state to impose harsher penalties on people convicted of crimes motivated by hate.

Rep. Meagan Hanson, an Atlanta-area Republican, pre-filed the legislation ahead of the upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly, which begins Monday.

The bipartisan bill provides for enhanced penalties when it is determined that someone has intentionally targeted a crime victim because of beliefs about the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, mental disability or physical disability.

Georgia is currently one of just five states that does not criminalize bias-motivated violence or intimidation.

A previous state hate crime law passed in 2000 was struck down by the state Supreme Court, which deemed it too broad.

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