A hate crimes law named the Matthew Shepard Act was first introduced on March 20, 2007. The bill passed the House of Representatives and the Senate but then-president George W. Bush said that he would veto the legislation if it had reached his desk. As a result, the legislation was dropped. It was again brought up on April 2, 2009. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed by President Barack Obama on October 28, 2009.