Senate Republicans conceded that the Shepard bill swung their votes against the defense package. "The bill includes hate crimes legislation, which I firmly believe is unnecessary, irresponsible, and certainly not germane to this bill ... There is little evidence that indicates that violent crimes motivated by hate go unpunished in the United States. Every single state has come from laws that prohibit the behavior addressed by hate crimes legislation, including laws against rape, assault and battery." Those are states' rights issues, said Chambliss. Full Article at Huffington Post