[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]

 
                     AMERICA WANTS THIS CRIME BILL

  (Mrs. SCHROEDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I am a little perplexed by what was 
meant by the statement that I am following.
  If we look at the crime bill, there were 68 Republicans that voted 
for it, and yet we did not have but 11 votes for the rule yesterday.
  This was nothing but a conference committee that was not only 
bipartisan in attendance but bicameral, working out the difference 
between the Senate side and the House side, with both Republicans and 
Democrats in there. So this was just the final throes.
  I do not know how you reopen the entire crime bill. I think there 
were some very important parts that were fought out on this floor. 
There was the assault weapons part which many got very upset about, but 
we won it. It was on the floor. It went fair and square.
  And then I heard yesterday all sorts of noise about pork and social 
workers, and on and on. The only social workers I found in the bill 
were dealing with the Violence Against Women Act which all of us 
thought was so important, and it passed almost unanimously in this 
House. It was for the 1-800 number that we would have for the first 
time for families in crisis and for shelters for battered families. We 
have three times as many, now, for dogs and cats as we have battered 
families.
  Yes, you probably need some social workers in those things, but those 
are needed areas, and if we do not solve the domestic terrorism in the 
home, we are never going to stop violence on the street. Those are all 
important components.
  So I hope we can work this out and pass this crime bill. I think 
America wants this crime bill, but I hope we can also do it in a much 
lower, lower tone and not have the bipartisan rancoring we saw.

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