WASHINGTON – It has been over a year since Asian American lawmakers first sounded the alarm on a potential rise in anti-Asian hate and violence amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Since then, Stop AAPI Hate, which tracks discrimination against Asian and Pacific Island Americans, said it received more than 3,000 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian American harassment or attacks compared to roughly 100 incidents annually in previous years.

In the beginning, Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., said it was "important" to condemn the hate incidents, even if it was "symbolic." But as the incidents continued to rise, "it's time to take it to the next level to make sure that we are using all the tools in our toolbox to help curb this problem," she said.