Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21) released the following statement after voting to pass H.R. 350, which would authorize domestic terrorism offices within the Department of Homelands Security, the Justice Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“Just this past week, once again, we saw race-based, hate-fueled domestic terror attacks—this time on the Black community in Buffalo, the Korean community in Dallas, and the Taiwanese community in Southern California,” said Rep. Frankel. “No one should have to fear for their lives because of the color of their skin, religion, or ethnicity when they go to the grocery story, the hair salon, or their place of worship. It’s far past time that we give our federal law enforcement agencies the tools they need to combat the deadly threat of domestic terror so our children can grow up in a safer world.”

These new offices set up by this legislation would be dedicated to monitoring, investigating, and prosecuting instances of domestic terrorism, and each office would have at least one employee dedicated to civil rights and civil liberties.

H.R. 350 passed the House by a vote of 222-203 and now goes to the Senate.

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