2. HB 824 2nd Reading

Passage; April 1, 2009 Record Vote #89 (Journal Page 1030): 88 Yeas, 57 Nays, 2 PNV

YCT Nay. Current Texas law requires an investigation of certain crimes committed by an adult to determine if it constituted a “hate crime.” HB 824 would have applied the same standards to crimes in juvenile courts and would have required those found to have committed a hate crime to do additional counseling classes and community service. Texas should prosecute crimes, not the opinions of criminals. Additionally, this standard can be horribly misconstrued to give a double standard to criminals of different races. As disgraceful as laws like these are for adults, applying them to a juvenile who may not be wholly responsible for their worldview at the time is just another way for the state to take a bigger part in controlling the development of children.