Senate Leader Says Hate Crimes Bill Unaffected By House GOP Views

Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) says his chamber won’t be influenced by what the House will support when it comes to hate crimes legislation.

That’s as House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) says his caucus doesn’t like the bill a Senate committee will consider next week.

Bosma says he speaks with the governor and Bray weekly about the hate crimes issue. And Bosma says he’s told Bray that the House GOP caucus doesn’t like current language that includes a list of victim characteristics.

“It’s my hope that Sen. Bray can thread the needle and get a bill over here that we can work with," Bosma says.

But the bill Bray is sending to a Senate committee contains that full list, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I don’t really expect that that list is going to come out, at least on the committee level," Bray says. "I think it’s going to stay in there.”

The Senate committee deadline is next week.