Capping nearly two weeks of talks between Democrats and Republicans, the Senate approved legislation on Thursday to ramp up law enforcement efforts to better protect Asian American and Pacific Islander communities from hate crimes.
The move marks a rare moment of bipartisan unity needed to approve the Senate legislation despite a new political era marked by increasingly bitter party divisions.
The bill, which needed 60 votes for passage in the evenly divided Senate, was approved by a vote of 94 to 1.
Only Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley voted no.
"The vote today on the anti-Asian hate crimes bill is proof that when the Senate is given the opportunity to work, the Senate can work to solve important issues," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote.
The bill next heads to the House, where it's being led by New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng and is expected to gain approval. Following House passage, it will go to President Biden's desk. Biden had urged approval for hate crimes legislation in the wake of a March shooting in Georgia that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent.
The legislation, introduced by Hawaii Democrat Mazie Hirono in the Senate, saw a breakthrough late Wednesday during negotiations with Republicans. Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins helped lead efforts to broaden the original scope of the bill to go beyond hate crimes initiated during the pandemic.