(WASHINGTON) President Joe Biden is expected to sign legislation on Thursday that will aim to combat a spike in hate crimes against the Asian American community, according to CBS News.
The legislation which passed on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote was approved by the House on Tuesday by a 364-62 vote.
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would bolster the federal government’s ability to address the rapid increase in hate crimes against the Asian American community by directing the Department of Justice to ramp up its review of incidents and provide guidance to state and local communities to report hate crime acts.
It would also expand public education to expand awareness and outreach to hate crime victims.
Stop AAPI Hate, per CBS News, reports Asian Americans and Pacific Islander women saw nearly 65% of hate crime incidents, with 6,603 hate incidents against the entire community between March 2020 and March 2021.