Urges Federal Bureau of Investigation to include in Uniform Crime Report September 11, 2001 terror attack victims in hate crime statistics.

2024-2025 Regular Session Introduced by Dawn Fantasia and 2 co-sponsors

NJ AR 17 urges the FBI to include September 11 victims as hate-motivated murder in the UCR, aligning data with the act's intent; symbolic, nonbinding.

Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee

#federalrel #terrorism

Summary of New Jersey Assembly Resolution AR 17

Title and Status

Bill: AR 17 (Assembly Resolution)

Introduced: January 9, 2024

Status: Introduced in the Assembly, referred to the Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee

Classification: Resolution (not a statute)

Subject: Federal relations, terrorism

Purpose and Intent

AR 17 is a state-level resolution that urges the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include the victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) as victims of hate-motivated murder. The measure frames this as maintaining the proper meaning of “hate-motivated murder” within the FBI’s hate crime statistics.

Key Provisions

Be It Resolved clause: The New Jersey General Assembly respectfully urges the FBI to include in the UCR the victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks as victims of hate-motivated murder.

Transmission requirement: Copies of the resolution, once filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Director of the FBI.

Background/Statement: The resolution notes the scale of the 9/11 attack, the FBI’s baseline data collection under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990, and the discrepancy that the 9/11 victims were not categorized in the UCR as murder victims or hate-motivated murder in the standard UCR data (though referenced in a special report).

Background and Rationale

The FBI collects hate crime data under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990, including bias-mmotivated incidents and hate-motivated murders.

In 2001, reported bias-motivated incidents totaled 9,730 with 10 hate-motivated murders nationwide.

Despite nearly 3,000 fatalities from 9/11, and about 400 police, fire, and rescue personnel, the UCR did not include 9/11 victims as murder victims within the hate-crime data in the standard UCR counts (only in a separate special report).

Proponents argue that including 9/11 victims as hate-motivated murder would preserve the intended meaning of “hate-motivated murder” in the UCR hate crime statistics.

Affected Entities

Primarily the FBI and the UCR data collection methodology.

The resolution has no direct fiscal impact on New Jersey state government.

The measure is symbolic, aiming to influence federal data categorization and reporting practices.

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

Involves a formal request to federal authorities via communication from New Jersey’s Assembly.

Currently pending action in committee (Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness).

Has a companion measure in the Senate: SR 58 (noted as a companion bill).

Potential Impact

If the FBI adopts the requested classification, UCR hate crime statistics would reflect 9/11 victims among hate-motivated murder data.

As a resolution, it does not create new state law or spending; its effect is to advocate for federal data practices and to express the Legislature’s position on this data classification.