(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) recently introduced legislation to require the New Jersey Attorney General to publish bias crime data every month.
Current law mandates the Attorney General to publish this information quarterly.
The legislation (A-5744) comes in response to reports of a rise in bias incidents in New Jersey in 2020. Data shows that attacks against Black residents made up the largest overall share of incidents in the state, rising 84% over the last year. Bias crimes targeted against Asian residents also rose 74% over the last year, up from 39 in 2019 to 68 in 2020.
“This legislation seeks to codify the recent decision by Attorney General Grewal to issue monthly reports on the prevalence of bias crimes in our State,” said Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle. “As we continue to evaluate policies and programs that may aid in reducing bias crime and intolerance in our communities, it is critical that we have the data to guide us. It is my hope that this legislation will also help to increase transparency around the growing issue of bias and hate crimes in our State, ensuring that our communities are aware of these growing trends so that we can work together to ensure that all New Jerseyans can live safely without fear of prejudice or violence.”
The measure now goes to the Assembly Speaker for further review.