[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3521 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3521

            To establish a Commission on Crime and Violence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 16, 1993

  Mr. Wheat introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
            To establish a Commission on Crime and Violence.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) there is no more important responsibility of government 
        than the protection of the lives and property of its citizens;
            (2) a violent crime occurs every 22 seconds in America;
            (3) the Nation's law enforcement personnel and criminal 
        justice system lack the resources they need to fully maintain 
        law and order;
            (4) the proliferation of drugs and guns in the last 3 
        decades has dramatically changed the nature of crime;
            (5) it has been 27 years since the Brown Commission 
        redefined the Federal Government's response to crime in 
        America; and
            (6) the Nation must commit itself to an energetic, 
        innovative assault on the epidemic of crime in our society, 
        including--
                    (A) alternative forms of sentencing to guarantee 
                swift and sure punishment of criminals, including the 
                Nation's growing number of youth offenders;
                    (B) initiatives by the public and private sectors 
                designed to identify and alleviate the causes of 
                criminal behavior; and
                    (C) an examination of current laws and law 
                enforcement practices to determine where and how 
                resources may be best utilized to fight crime, reduce 
                burdens on courts and jails, and stop recidivism.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION ON CRIME AND VIOLENCE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be known 
as the ``National Commission on Crime and Violence in America'' 
(referred to as the ``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission shall be composed of 22 
        members, of whom--
                    (A) 6 shall be appointed by the President;
                    (B) 8 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the 
                House of Representatives, of whom 2 shall be appointed 
                on the recommendation of the minority leader; and
                    (C) 8 shall be appointed by the President pro 
                tempore of the Senate, of whom 6 shall be appointed on 
                the recommendation of the majority leader and 2 shall 
                be appointed on the recommendation of the minority 
                leader.
            (2) Goals in making appointments.--In appointing members of 
        the Commission, the President, Speaker, President pro tempore, 
        and the majority and minority leaders shall seek to ensure 
        that--
                    (A) the membership of the Commission reflects the 
                racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the United 
                States; and
                    (B) members are specially qualified to serve on the 
                Commission by reason of their education, training, 
                expertise, or experience in--
                            (i) sociology;
                            (ii) psychology;
                            (iii) law;
                            (iv) law enforcement;
                            (v) social work; and
                            (vi) ethnography and urban poverty, 
                        including health care, housing, education, and 
                        employment.
            (3) Deadline.--Members of the Commission shall be appointed 
        within 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
            (4) Term.--Members shall serve on the Commission through 
        the date of its termination under section 8.
            (5) Meetings.--The Commission--
                    (A) shall have its headquarters in the District of 
                Columbia; and
                    (B) shall meet at least once each month for a 
                business session.
            (6) Quorum.--Twelve members of the Commission shall 
        constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
            (7) Chairperson and vice chairperson.--Not later than 15 
        days after the members of the Commission are appointed, the 
        members shall designate a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of 
        the Commission.
            (8) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled 
        not later than 30 days after the Commission is informed of the 
        vacancy in the manner in which the original appointment was 
        made.
            (9) Compensation.--
                    (A) No pay, allowance, or benefit.--Members of the 
                Commission shall receive no pay, allowances, or 
                benefits by reason of their service on the Commission.
                    (B) Travel expenses.--A member of the Commission 
                shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in 
                lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 
                and 5703 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 3. DUTIES.

    The Commission shall--
            (1) review the effectiveness of traditional criminal 
        justice approaches in preventing and controlling crime and 
        violence;
            (2) examine the impact that changes to Federal and State 
        law have had in controlling crime and violence;
            (3) examine the impact of changes in Federal immigration 
        laws and policies and increased development and growth along 
        United States international borders on crime and violence in 
        the United States, particularly among our Nation's youth;
            (4) examine the problem of youth gangs and provide 
        recommendations on how to reduce youth involvement in violent 
        crime;
            (5) examine the extent to which assault weapons and high 
        power firearms have contributed to violence and murder in the 
        United States;
            (6) convene hearings in various parts of the country to 
        receive testimony from a cross section of criminal justice 
        professionals, business leaders, elected officials, medical 
        doctors, and other citizens that wish to participate;
            (7) review all segments of the criminal justice system, 
        including the law enforcement, prosecution, defense, judicial, 
        corrections components, in developing the crime control and 
        antiviolence plan;
            (8) develop a comprehensive and effective crime control and 
        antiviolence plan that will serve as a blueprint for action in 
        the 1990's;
            (9) bring attention to successful models and programs in 
        crime prevention, crime control, and antiviolence;
            (10) reach out beyond the traditional criminal justice 
        community for ideas when developing the comprehensive crime 
        control and antiviolence plan;
            (11) recommend improvements in the coordination of Federal, 
        State, local, and international border crime control efforts;
            (12) make a comprehensive study of the economic and social 
        factors leading to or contributing to crime and violence and 
        specific proposals for legislative and administrative actions 
        to reduce crime and violence and the elements that contribute 
        to crime and violence; and
            (13) recommend means of allocating finite correctional 
        facility space and resources to the most serious and violent 
        offenders, with the goal of achieving the most cost-effective 
        crime control and protection of the community and public 
        safety, after--
                    (A) examining the issue of disproportionate 
                incarceration rates among black males and any other 
                miniority group disproportionately represented in 
                Federal and State correctional populations; and
                    (B) considering increased use of alternatives to 
                incarceration that offer a reasonable prospect of equal 
                or better crime control at equal or less cost than 
                incarceration.

SEC. 4. STAFF AND SUPPORT SERVICES.

    (a) Director.--
            (1) Appointment.--After consultation with the members of 
        the Commission, the Chairperson shall appoint a director of the 
        Commission (referred to as the ``Director'').
            (2) Compensation.--The Director shall be paid the rate of 
        basic pay for level V of the Executive Schedule.
    (b) Staff.--With the approval of the Commission, the Director may 
appoint such personnel as the Director considers to be appropriate.
    (c) Civil Service Laws.--The staff of the Commission shall be 
appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States 
Code, governing appointments in the competitive service and shall be 
paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III 
of chapter 53 of that title relating to classification and General 
Schedule pay rates.
    (d) Experts and Consultants.--With the approval of the Commission, 
the Director may procure temporary and intermittent services under 
section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code.
    (e) Staff of Federal Agencies.--Upon the request of the Commission, 
the head of any Federal agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, 
personnel of that agency to the Commission to assist in carrying out 
its duties.
    (f) Physical Facilities.--The Administrator of the General Services 
Administration shall provide suitable office space for the operation of 
the Commission. The facilities shall serve as the headquarters of the 
Commission and shall include all necessary equipment and incidentals 
required for proper functioning.

SEC. 5. POWERS.

    (a) Hearings.--The Commission may conduct public hearings or forums 
at its discretion, at any time and place it is able to secure 
facilities and witnesses, for the purpose of carrying out its duties.
    (b) Delegation of Authority.--Any member or agent of the Commission 
may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action that the 
Commission is authorized to take by this section.
    (c) Information.--The Commission may secure from any Federal agency 
or entity in the executive or legislative branch such materials, 
resources, statistical data, and other information as is necessary to 
enable it to carry out this Act. Upon request of the Chairperson or 
Vice Chairperson of the Commission, the head of a Federal agency or 
entity shall furnish the information to the Commission to the extent 
permitted by law.
    (d) Gifts, Bequests, and Devises.--The Commission may accept, use, 
and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of services or property, 
both real and personal, for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the 
work of the Commission. Gifts, bequests, or devises of money and 
proceeds from sales of other property received as gifts, bequests, or 
devises shall be deposited in the Treasury and shall be available for 
disbursement upon order of the Commission.
    (e) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails in the 
same manner and under the same conditions as other Federal agencies.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

    (a) Monthly Reports.--The Commission shall submit monthly activity 
reports to the President and the Congress.
    (b) Interim Report.--Not later than 1 year before the date of its 
termination, the Commission shall submit an interim report to the 
President and the Congress containing--
            (1) a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of 
        the Commission;
            (2) recommendations for legislative and administrative 
        action based on the Commission's activities to date;
            (3) an estimation of the costs of implementing the 
        recommendations made by the Commission; and
            (4) a strategy for disseminating the report to Federal, 
        State, and local authorities.
    (c) Final Report.--Not later than the date of its termination, the 
Commission shall submit to the Congress and the President a final 
report with a detailed statement of final findings, conclusions, 
recommendations, and estimation of costs and an assessment of the 
extent to which recommendations included in the interim report under 
subsection (b) have been implemented.
    (d) Printing and Public Distribution.--Upon receipt of each report 
of the Commission under this section, the President shall--
            (1) order the report to be printed; and
            (2) make the report available to the public.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

    The Commission shall terminate on the date that is 2 years after 
the date on which members of the Commission have met and designated a 
Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.

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