Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) voted to approve a bill this week aimed at clarifying the definition of "crime of violence" in Title 18, United States Code.
On Friday, Thornberry joined a majority of House members in voting to approve the Community Safety and Security Act of 2018. The bill, authored by Representative Karen Handel (R-Georgia), amends the United States Code to clarify the definition of "crime of violence."
The consideration of the bill was controversial, as Human Rights Watch penned a letter to Congress on Thursday, asking for members to vote against the bill. Opponents of the legislation argued that the definitions included under "crime of violence" in the bill were "overbroad" and included crimes that have "no element of violence" involved.
House members voted 247-152 to approve the bill, with 218 Republicans and 29 Democrats voting for passage. 4 Republicans and 148 Democrats voted against the bill and 2 Democrats voted "present."
