When adopted, they'll allows the courts to examine a person's behaviour at the moment of the crime.
Proposed hate crime legislation puts Ireland on par with it's European counterparts when it comes to tackling discrimination.
That's according to Chairman of the Westmeath Immigration Network, Rashid Butt, who says it was a long time coming.
When adopted, they'll allows the courts to examine a person's behaviour at the moment of the crime, meaning shouting homophobic or racist slurs before or during an attack could upgrade a common assault to include an element of hate.
The Mullingar man says steps had to be taken to tackle discrimination in Ireland:
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