WASHINGTON (AP) – Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved Thursday and sent to President Barack Obama.

A priority of the late Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy that had been on the congressional agenda for a decade, the measure expands current law to include crimes based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The measure is named for Matthew Shepard, a homosexual college student in the Western state of Wyoming who was murdered 11 years ago.

To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to a must-pass $680 billion defense policy bill the Senate approved 68-29. The House of Representatives already passed the defense bill this month.

Many Republicans, normally staunch supporters of defense bills, voted against the bill because of the hate crimes provision.

“The inclusion of the controversial language of the hate crimes legislation, which is unrelated to our national defense, is deeply troubling,” said Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions.

The hate crimes law, enacted after the 1968 assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., centered on crimes based on race, color, religion or national origin.

The expansion has long been sought by civil rights and gay rights groups. Conservatives have opposed it, arguing that it creates a special class of victims. They also have been concerned that it could silence clergymen or others opposed to homosexuality on religious or philosophical grounds.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights group, hailed the bill as “our nation’s first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence.”

Some 45 states have hate crimes statutes, and the bill would not change current practices where hate crimes are generally investigated and prosecuted by state and local officials.

But it does broaden the narrow range of actions – such as attending school or voting – that can trigger federal involvement and allows the federal government to step in if the Justice Department certifies that a state is unwilling or unable to follow through on an alleged hate crime.

The measure also provides federal grants to help state and local governments prosecute hate crimes and funds programs to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles.

“As we learned in the civil rights era, sometimes communities need assistance and resources from the federal government when they have to confront the most emotional and dangerous kinds of crimes,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat.

The bill also creates a federal crime to penalize attacks against U.S. service members on account of their service.

At the urging of Republicans the bill was changed to strengthen free speech protections to assure that a religious leader or any other person cannot be prosecuted on the basis of his or her speech, beliefs or associations.

“Nothing in this legislation diminishes an American’s freedom of religion, freedom of speech or press or the freedom to assemble,” said Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin. “Let me be clear. The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act targets acts, not speech.”

That did not convince Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, who said the bill was a “dangerous step” toward thought crimes. He suggested the bill might “serve as a warning to people not to speak out too loudly about their religious views.”

On Wednesday, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. He delivered brief remarks and was joined by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Members of Congress, and others. October