Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan announces the Senate version of a proposed hate crimes bill.

Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan announces the Senate version of a proposed hate crimes bill.

Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan announced Wednesday the Senate’s version of a bill that would create a hate crimes statute in Georgia, setting up a tug-of-war with a House-backed measure that was passed more than a year ago.

Duncan said the four-page Senate bill would go further than the House bill.

One change would create a separate hate crime charge for crimes motivated by age, race, religion, sexual orientation and other attributes instead of adding it on after someone is found guilty of an underlying crime.

“A simple sentencing enhancement does not go far enough to deter and punish a hate crime,” Duncan said at a Wednesday news conference. “There is no way to ignore the sense of urgency, the desire and the immediate need for the strongest hate crimes law in the country to show up on our books here in Georgia.”

The Senate proposal would also enact tougher penalties for those who are found guilty of committing a hate crime, allow community members to file a warrant for a grand jury to hear a case and would require the creation of a database to track hate crimes.

“This legislation will now require law enforcement to utilize standardized reporting processes for bias-motivated crimes,” he said. “So we can stop guessing who, where and when these crimes are happening.”

MORE: Georgia Lawmakers Renew Push For Hate Crime Bill After Death Of Ahmaud Arbery

Georgia is one of four states without a hate crimes law, and after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick earlier this year the legislation roared back into focus. 

House Speaker David Ralston said Tuesday that the Senate needed to stop playing games and pass the House version of the bill that has languished for more than 400 days in the chamber without a hearing.

“We passed it in March of 2019 in the House,” the Blue Ridge Republican said. “I’ve used every public opportunity I’ve had over the last two months to talk about it, to ask them to pass the bill, to not delay, to pass a clean bill.”

After Duncan’s press conference, several House Democrats blasted the measure, saying that the new proposal comes too late into the session and that it ignores the House measure that could serve as a foundation for future changes.

“We are up against a legislative clock,” Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) said. “The urgency of the matter is now; every day is important.”

Rep. James Beverly (D-Macon), the House Democratic Caucus chair, said it was an “insult” to hear Duncan describe a change of heart over the issue.

“If you have a change of conscience, let [House Bill] 426 go through,” he said. “If you want to do another bill, do the bill, and let us look at it for consideration.”

The Georgia NAACP, which organized a massive march on the Capitol Monday, tweeted in a statement the organization had “many concerns,” including the fact that Duncan and Republican Senate leadership did not consult with its leaders when drafting the measure.

“During a time when people are literally dying, being murdered and lynched every single day, it is a shame knowing @GeoffDuncanGA nor anyone from his office ever reached out to ask for our input,” one tweet read.

The conflicting bills and charged political climate are bearing down on the end of the legislative session: Just eight more working days remain, and much of the time will be devoted to a coronavirus-decimated state budget.

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