[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9] [Senate] [Page 12441] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]THE MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT OF 2007 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. Each Congress, Senator Kennedy and I introduce hate crimes legislation that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. Likewise, each Congress I have come to the floor to highlight a separate hate crime that has occurred in our country. Last month, I came to the floor to speak about the death of Sean Kennedy of Greenville, SC. This young man was attacked outside a local bar and sustained fatal injuries. His attacker, Stephen Moller, had punched him in the face and left a message on a friend of the victim's cell phone, calling Sean a faggot and bragging that he had knocked him unconscious. Sean died 20 hours later. Sean's mother, Elke Parker, watched as Moller pled guilty to manslaughter, for which the judge gave him a 5-year sentence. The sentence was then reduced to 3 years. For the mother of a son killed in a hate crime, this is not justice. Had the Matthew Shepard Act been signed into law before Sean's death, prosecutors would have been able to charge the defendant with a violent hate crime under the law. Additionally, the Federal Government would have been authorized to provide investigatory and prosecutorial assistance, which could have led to a sentence commensurate with the brutality of this attack. After the trial, Elke told reporters that she would push for Federal hate crime legislation. ``It may not help Sean today, but I want it to help future victims that they can be assured that there is justice. If your son or daughter is different, you need to support them for who they really need to be,'' she said. I was honored to speak with her about this legislation last month and look forward to working with her as we push for its passage. I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Matthew Shepard Act is a symbol that can become substance. I believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well. ____________________