[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1200
 
                           BE TOUGH ON CRIME

  (Mr. SCHIFF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives is about to 
take up the proposed new Federal anticrime bill. I want to say that it 
is none too soon. Violent crime is the greatest problem facing the 
United States of America. Why? Because for the obvious reason, that 
unless we can go to work safely, unless we can send our children to 
school safely, unless we can be in our homes safely, we cannot address 
all of our other problems, as serious as certainly they may be.
  Of all the different provisions in the crime bill, of which there are 
quite a number, the most important, in my view, is that which deals 
with repeat offenders, because it is the repeat offender who is the 
criminal that will not stop committing crimes and probably commits 
three, four, five, or more crimes a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a 
year.
  There is a provision in the bill before us that would address this 
situation that is called three strikes and you're out, meaning three 
violent felonies or two violent, and one drug felony, and mandatory 
life in prison.
  This would be an improvement over the law today, but it does not go 
far enough. We need to say if they are truly violent crimes, why get to 
three? Why should not two violent crimes being committed warrant life 
in prison?
  At the very least, Mr. Speaker, I will offer an amendment that says 
commission of two serial violent crimes should mean life in prison.

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