Louisiana’s ‘Blue Lives Matter’ bill just became law

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed the “Blue Lives Matter” bill into law Thursday, May 26, making the state the first in the nation where public safety workers are considered a protected class under hate-crime law.

In many states, hate crime laws call for additional penalties for those convicted of crimes who targeted victims on the basis of race, ethnicity or religion. Targeting police officers, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel now fall under Louisiana’s hate crime law.