Recent murders have led to renewed calls for federal hate crimes legislation and stronger state laws. Suspects in recent Wyoming and Texas cases could face the death penalty under state murder statutes, but President Clinton wants to extend the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act of 1994 to cover crimes motivated by prejudice based on disability, sex and sexual orientation.

But Kelly Anders, of the National Conference of State Legislatures, points out, "The law historically has gone against punishing people for their thoughts, and that is what hate-crimes laws do....You have to make sure when you're drafting legislation that you're not punishing people for their thoughts. And that's a very difficult thing, because that's what it is."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation compiles data about crimes that "manifest prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity." It reported 4,558 hate crimes in 1991 and 7,587 in 1993, and in 1996 it logged 8,759 hate crimes. The FBI reported 15 bias-related murders nationwide in 1992, and 13 in 1994.

Today, 40 states -- not including Wyoming -- now have some form of hate crimes law (see figure).

• Some states, including Texas, aren't explicit about which groups are covered by their hate-crimes statutes.

• Of those that do specify, 20 states mention race, religion or ethnicity, 11 mention sexual orientation, 11 mention gender and 12 mention other categories, like mental or physical disability.

• Some states have penalties that vary with the severity of the crime -- in Wisconsin, for instance, a fine might be added to the penalty for a misdemeanor, while five years could be added to a felony sentence.

Critics say hate-crimes laws encourage groups to vie for protected status by emphasizing the degree of their victimization. Interestingly, Bill Dobbs, spokesman for a homosexual rights advocacy group, opposes hate-crimes legislation encompassing sexual orientation because it encourages resentment.