[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    UNION COUNTY'S RESPONSE TO CRIME

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, in my State of Florida there is a desperate 
need for prison space and the funds to build correctional facilities. 
President Clinton called for a renewed effort to fight crime by 
focusing, in part, on the criminal and incarceration. Today, I want to 
bring to his attention an innovative idea Union County, FL, has that 
has been ignored by the Justice Department.
  The Union County community has banded together to build, with no 
taxpayer moneys, a prison. The county has donated the land for the 
prison and will build to the specifications and requirements of the 
Federal prison system. The only ingredient missing is the Federal 
Government's commitment that they will use the prison. Incredibly the 
Justice Department says it is not interested.
  This prison means jobs for this community, costs the Federal 
Government nothing and will help keep criminals off the streets. It is 
exactly the kind of community response we need in this country but, Mr. 
Speaker, the Justice Department just is not interested.

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