[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 101 (Thursday, July 28, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                                 CRIME

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, earlier this morning, the crime conference 
completed its deliberations. Unfortunately, it appears that parts of 
the conference report could have been concocted by a university 
sociology department, rather than by those concerned with effective law 
enforcement.
  The conferees have apparently resurrected last year's defeated 
stimulus package by earmarking a staggering $9 billion for more than 15 
so-called prevention programs. Midnight Basketball, the Ounce of 
Prevention Council, drug courts, the Local Partnership Act, the Model 
Cities Intensive Grants Program--these are just several of the 
multimillion-dollar pork-barrel projects that are masquerading under 
the anticrime banner.
  On Tuesday, Republican conferees successfully earmarked $3.6 billion 
for the Edward Byrne Memorial Grant Program, which provides critical 
assistance to State and local law enforcement, the very people who are 
on the front lines in the war against crime. Yet, a mere 24 hours 
later, the Democrat conferees reversed this success, stripping the 
Byrne Grant funding and tossing it in the prevention pork barrel.
  Unfortunately, several important tough-on-crime proposals that passed 
the Senate last year also didn't make the final conference cut:
  New Federal rules of evidence making it easier to prosecute vicious 
sex offenders. Gone.
  Tough mandatory minimum penalties for those who use a gun in the 
commission of a crime. Gone.
  New legal tools designed to assist Federal prosecutors in combating 
violent gang activity. Gone.
  The Terrorist Alien Removal Act, which would have made it easier to 
deport vicious terrorists who are in our country illegally. Gone.
  The mandatory HIV testing of those charged with sex offenses. Gone.
  And a proposal requiring violent criminals to make restitution to 
their victims. Believe it or not, gone.
  Many of the tougher provisions are gone.
  But, perhaps the biggest cut of all, Mr. President, is in the area of 
prison funding. Although the House of Representatives authorized $10.5 
billion to help the States create more prison space for violent 
criminals, the conference report takes a far softer approach, reducing 
the level of prison funding and loosening up the truth-in-sentencing 
requirements.
  And, Mr. President, there are gimmicks: more than $2 billion of the 
money allegedly allocated for prisons is not financed through the 
Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund. So, it is anyone's guess if this 
funding will ever be appropriated or ever reach the States, where it is 
needed.
  Mr. President, I will take a close look at the final conference 
report, but from what I see so far, I am afraid that Congress may have 
just flunked its most important crime fighting challenge, as we have 
done in the past. From all appearances, we have done just that.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________