 Duane was also instrumental in the ultimate passage of the Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2000, which stipulates longer penalties for those convicted of alleged hate crimes and mandates that New York State keep an active database of these crimes.Duane's advocacy of this cause was personal as well as principled; in 1983, he was hospitalized after being assaulted by two men shouting anti-gay epithets, yet the perpetrators were charged only with a misdemeanor.He also took the lead on "Manny's Law," which requires hospitals to disclose to indigent patients the availability of state-sponsored funds for health care costs, and worked to enact a rental cap of 30 percent of income for people who are living with AIDS and eligible for government financial assistance.