At least, Congress can agree on this much: Hate crimes against those of Asian or Pacific Islander descent should be aggressively prosecuted. That is the impact of the bill, sponsored by Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, that just passed in the Senate by a whopping 94-to-1 bipartisan vote.

That’s as much unity across the Republican-Democratic aisle as has been seen in a long time. Of course, the House, which is almost as evenly divided, must agree before it becomes law, so it may be too early for a celebration. Still, it’s an encouraging sign.