Pa. bill to double security funding for nonprofits protecting hate crime victims passes House

State funding for nonprofits that serve vulnerable populations may double after a bill passed the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday.

HB 1772 passed with the bipartisan support and backing from Pittsburgh-area lawmakers.

It would increase total funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program from $5 million to $10 million. The grant program has been championed by state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, and state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and created in the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. The program provides security funding for nonprofits who serve victims of hate crimes and other vulnerable populations.

Grant recipients in 2023 include the Dor Hadash congregation, which operated out of the Tree of Life synagogue, and SisterPGH, which provides services for LGBTQ people of color in the Pittsburgh area. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh received $150,000, and $75,000 went to the Homewood-based Afro-American Music Institute.

Costa said he is glad the state House is seeking to expand the grant program. He said it provides crucial security upgrades for these nonprofits.

“It’s up to us to protect our vulnerable communities from bad actors and offer marginalized people safe spaces to gather, worship, dance and make friends,” Costa said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to get this bill over the finish line and drive out these dollars to keep vulnerable communities safe.”

Other anti-hate crime bills that passed the state House on Tuesday, include a bill expanding hate-crime protections based on sex, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation; one providing more training to law enforcement on hate-crime investigations and one expanding training and reporting for hate crimes at educational institutions.

Frankel introduced three of the four bills along with state Rep. Napoleon Nelson, D-Montgomery. He said the package would put the state on track to tackle a nationwide spike in criminal activity fueled by hatred.

“The conflict in Israel has Jewish and Muslim Pennsylvanians feeling afraid — afraid to leave home, afraid to practice their faith, afraid to gather with their communities at a time when such events would bring them the most comfort,” said Frankel in a release. “The vast majority of Pennsylvanians want this commonwealth to be a welcoming, diverse place for all, and that is the call legislators answered today.”

All four bills — HB 1024, 1025, 1027 and 1772 — passed the Democrat-controlled state House with bipartisan support. Each bill garnered unanimous support from Democrats and a smattering of Republicans, including local state Reps. Valerie Gaydos, R-Aleppo, and Rob Mercuri, R-Pine.

Some of the bills are an effort to push back against a State Supreme Court ruling in 2008 that struck down protections for certain classes. Those protections were ruled unconstitutional on technical grounds, according to Frankel.

The bills would still need to pass the Republican-controlled Senate before reaching Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. Costa has introduced companion bills in the state Senate.