[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 112 (Friday, August 12, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1010
 
               REOPENING THE CONFERENCE ON THE CRIME BILL

  (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the distinguished 
gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich].
  Mr. GINGRICH. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I just wanted to respond to the gentlewoman from Colorado that, 
first, you can reopen the conference by reopening a conference. The 
Members go back in. The House has, in fact, set the stage for that to 
occur by rejecting the rule and refusing to take up the bill.
  Second, the House bill left here with $22 billion in total spending, 
the Senate bill left at $26 billion. They got together at $33 billion. 
So when people say that it is exactly the same bill people voted for, 
let us be honest about it, this is not the same bill.
  The sexual predator notification provision was weakened in 
conference. That is a very vital issue to Members who believe that when 
sexual predators are released from prison and released into your 
community, that you have a right to know about it.
  Of course, the recent tragic kidnaping, rape, and murder of the 7-
year-old girl in New Jersey drives that home. That was a twice-
convicted sexual predator. This bill in its current form will protect 
the sexual predator's right to privacy rather than protecting that 
young girl's right to safety.
  So where there are substantive policy differences, we can go back to 
conference, we can, in fact, rewrite this bill. We would like on our 
side to work in a bipartisan manner to write a good crime bill.
  I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I associate myself 
with the remarks of the distinguished gentleman from Georgia.

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