Law is attached to $ 680 billion defense authorization bill . It is named for Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. , both killed in 1998 . More than 77,000 hate-crime incidents were reported by the FBI between 1998 and 2007 , or `` nearly one hate crime for every hour of every day over the span of a decade , '' Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee in June . Shepard was gay , Byrd was African-American . The law requires the Pentagon to provide equal treatment of gays and lesbians serving openly or unofficially on military bases.
Law is attached to $ 680 billion defense authorization bill . It is named for Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. , both killed in 1998 . Shepard was gay , Byrd was African-American . The law requires the Pentagon to provide equal treatment of gays and lesbians serving openly or unofficially on military bases.