[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 115 (Tuesday, August 16, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 16, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1100
 
                       COMMENTS ON THE CRIME BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Klink). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. Mica] is recognized during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, there are many wonderful people in my Seventh 
Congressional District that stretches from Orlando to Daytona Beach, 
FL.
  We have people who have lived there all their lives, and folks who 
just moved there recently. We have young and old working and retired 
and, like other parts of America, we have people looking for work and 
new opportunities.
  After meeting with many of my constituents again this past weekend I 
know how smart the people of my district are. I know a little bit more 
about their hopes and dreams.
  Like me, they want something done about crime. But also they realize 
that Congress could do a better job in crafting a crime bill that 
addresses the real problems of crime in this country.
  The people in my district work hard to make a living, struggle to pay 
their bills, try to lead an honest life and strive to educate and raise 
their children. They want to live in peace and with personal security.
  They want to feel safe in their homes and on their streets. They do 
not want to sleep, shop, go to work, or drive in fear. They want their 
children and grandchildren to be raised in safe neighborhoods.
  Now let me tell you what they have told me they do not want. They are 
tired of supporting people who do not care to work or contribute to our 
society.
  They are sick and tired of seeing their hard earned money support 
fancy prisons and those who rip off the system.
  They are tired of the revolving door system of justice--where they 
pay for the cost of crime, they pay for the criminals' legal counsel, 
and they pay for the criminals' fancy prison surroundings.
  They pay to support the criminal's family while he's in prison, they 
pay for the halfway house, they pay for the parole and counseling, and 
then they pay all over again when the system produces a repeat 
offender.
  They are tired of supporting the small numbers who committee the 
large numbers of crimes. They are tired of it, and I am tired of it.
  We know that 40 years of social programs have bred welfare 
dependency, destroyed the traditional family unit, discouraged work and 
self respect, and killed self-reliance.
  The NRA did not kill this rule to bring up the crime bill and neither 
did the Republican Party or 58 Democrats. The American people finally 
rebelled.
  The American people know that carelessly throwing more money at the 
crime problem is not the answer.
  The American people know that 40,000 more social workers is not the 
answer and the American people know that releasing 10,000 convicted 
drug dealers in our neighborhoods is not the solution.
  Mr. Speaker, we need a crime bill that gets tough on crime. Let us 
send this bill back to conference committee because we can do a better 
job.
  Let us restore the good provisions stricken in conference.
  Restore the provision to notify neighbors of sexual predators. 
Restore minimum mandatory sentencing that keeps drug felons behind 
bars.
  Restore minimum mandatory sentences for selling drugs to minors. 
Restore HIV testing for rapists. Restore a provision to require 
criminal restitution to victims.
  Restore the provision to deport criminal aliens, immediately after 
they leave prison. Restore minimum mandatory penalties for commission 
of crimes with firearms. Restore provisions to help convict prior 
rapists and child abusers.
  Let us be honest with the American people and restore these tough 
measures.
  Then, Mr. Speaker, after the conference committee has restored these 
provisions of substance that were stripped from the bill, we ask for 
your help.
  Please cut some of the $9 billion added to this bill for a bigger 
social agenda. Leave billions for prisons, billions for police, and 
even billions for good treatment and enforcement programs.
  But let us be honest and cut the social programs that have not worked 
in the past, do not work now, and will not work in the future. Also Mr. 
Speaker, we ask that you contract President Clinton and tell him the 
House voted on June 16, with a vote of 264 to 149 to instruct conferees 
to delete the racial quota provision from the conference report.
  Remind him that we did not want President Clinton to promise to 
restore this deleted provision by executive order. Remind him that we 
wanted to strengthen, not weaken, the death penalty.
  Finally, there is no one in this Congress that does not want a crime 
bill--what we want is truth in legislating and truth in sentencing.
  Our hearts ache for those who have been the victims of crime. But we 
have a responsibility to legislate both with our hearts and our minds.

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