The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday called the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. The bill expands the definition of a hate crime and creates procedures for expanded federal law involvement. Previously, federal hate crimes legislation only protected crimes involving race, religion, color, or national origin. Critics of the bill have protested the special protections given to homosexuals while denied to other vulnerable classes like senior citizens, military personnel, and police officers.
Source:
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/05/house-passes-hate-crimes-bill-targeting.php