A South Carolina state representative is under fire after he made a controversial Facebook post last week expressing his disapproval of the state’s new hate crime bill.
Rep. Victor Dabney, a 63-year-old Republican lawmaker from Kershaw County, made the comments on social media before the hate crime bill passed on April 7 in the House of Representatives by a vote of 79-29 with bipartisan support.
The bill increases fines and jail time for crimes committed based on a victim’s race, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability. For violent crimes including murder, armed robbery, and criminal sexual conduct, it allows penalties of five years and up to $10,000 in fines to be added to a sentence. South Carolina is one of just three states without hate crime penalties.
SC House Democrats file a bill to censure GOP colleague while he doubles down on controversial comments
VIDEO: SC House Democrats file a bill to censure GOP colleague while he doubles down on controversial comments By Adam Mintzer | April 8, 2021 at 6:03 PM EDT - Updated April 8 at 8:54 PM
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - More than 30 Democratic state lawmakers are sponsoring a bill censuring their Republican colleague Rep. Victor Dabney, R-Kershaw.
This is in response to Dabney’s statements on social media regarding the hate crimes bill that the South Carolina House of Representatives passed Wednesday.
In a post on Facebook before the bill passed, which has since been deleted, Dabney said he would not vote for the hate crime bill and said he feels his way of life has been “vilified” by Democrats.