Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted on legislation to condemn the rise in hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Over the last year, disturbing headlines about violence, discrimination, and hateful incidents against Asian Americans have flashed across our screens. It is estimated that between March 2020 and March 2021, more than 6,000 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate crimes were recorded in the United States.

That’s why in February, the very first bill I introduced was a bipartisan resolution to condemn these crimes and encourage better coordination between state, local, and federal governments to track hate against the AAPI community. My resolution, H. Res. 153, is the only bipartisan legislation of its kind in the House. In addition to condemning hate crimes and hate incidents, it urges investigation of all anti-AAPI hate crimes and threats, recommends better reporting of these incidents, and urges swift prosecution of those found responsible for the crimes.