The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a law passed by Congress in 2009 during the Obama Administration, which provides additional measures for law enforcement and courts regarding hate crimes prevention and prosecution.
The law was created in response to the hate crimes victimization of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.
There are a number of provisions of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. These provisions include: giving federal authorities more power to investigate hate crimes when local authorities don't, allowing $5 million each year through 2012 to be approved for helping state and local authorities to help investigate and prosecute hate crimes, and more.
The ultimate goal of this act is to make it easier and more feasible for the government to prevent and prosecute hate crimes.