[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 105 (Wednesday, August 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       CRIME BILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH

  (Mr. KINGSTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, the crime bill, like the American 
neighborhoods it is designed to protect, is a mixture of good and bad; 
like the neighborhood streets, the bad appears to be outweighing the 
good.
  There is good in it, but not enough. The bill talks about funding 
100,000 new police officers, but only pays for 20,000. The bill talks 
about new prison construction, but unlike the House version, only funds 
about $6 billion for this versus $16 billion.
  The bill talks about truth in sentencing, but in actuality only 
affects 1 percent of the crimes under that category.

                              {time}  1220

  And then there is the social spending, which is about one-third of 
the entire cost of the bill.
  If you are wondering where last year's pork-barrel stimulus program 
went, it has been found in the crime bill. On top of the $24 billion 
which we already spend on 154 warm, fuzzy, and ineffective social 
programs, we will not add another $9 billion.
  What is worse, there is no formula for allocation of these programs. 
It is all left up to the President's discretion.
  How convenient for an election year.
  Let us recommit this bill and start all over. The American people and 
the American neighborhoods deserve better.

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