Scott Celebrates Signing of Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act Into Law

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) released the following statement after President Biden signed his anti-lynching legislation into law.

“For the last four years, I’ve worked hard with my friends across the aisle on anti-lynching legislation — legislation that has failed in Congress an astounding 200 times,” said Senator Scott. “After a century of unsuccessful attempts, we finally did the right thing in passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act — not on behalf of Republicans or Democrats, but on behalf of all Americans. I’m proud to have played a part in passing this historic bill and making clear that we should never tolerate violence and hatred spread by those with evil in their hearts.”

Sen. Scott first introduced anti-lynching legislation in 2018 and again in 2019, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). The bill passed the Senate twice with unanimous consent but was held up in the House of Representatives.

Background:

The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, introduced by Senators Scott and Booker in the Senate, was also cosponsored by Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Sen. Scott has led several efforts to combat hate crimes in America. Most recently, he:

• Spoke out against hate crimes at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing; 
• Urged the FBI and DOJ to provide information about the recent bomb threats at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs);
• Introduced a resolution condemning the bomb threats; and  
• Launched the Senate Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations, along with Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), to combat racism and anti-Semitism.

Click here to read full text of the law. 

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