TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s hate crime law could be expanded to create enhanced penalties for people who commit offenses against someone based on their gender or gender identity.
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee approved a bill on a 5-2 vote Tuesday that would would increase the level of a crime if it's motivated by those factors.
The bill would also expand the definition of disability in current hate crime law to include any disability that creates limits on a person’s major life activities.
Current law only includes disabilities due to a developmental disability, organic brain damage or mental illness.
