[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 17, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 17, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                             THE CRIME BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Farr of California). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Bishop] is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, August 10, more than 600 law 
officers from two States came to my hometown to pay their last respects 
to a Columbus, GA police officer who was gunned down in the line of 
duty.
  Early that Sunday morning, officer Ed Osborne, a 31 year-old, 4 year 
veteran of the force, made what originally appeared to be a routine 
pickup of two youngsters violating the local curfew. As officer Osborne 
took the young men home, a gunshot shattered through the back of his 
head and took his life. A 15 year-old stands accused of murder and 
officer Osborne leaves behind a widow, two children, his parents and 
other family members. Officer Osborne is the 23rd member of the 
Columbus police force to be killed in the line of duty.
  In his eulogy, the Reverend Creede Hinshaw of the St. Mark United 
Methodist Church said:

       A hero is a person who wears a uniform and drives a patrol 
     car through the streets * * * who after the city has gone to 
     sleep and after the parents care no longer, is there to take 
     two juveniles home after curfew.

  I would add to that:

       A hero is a legislator who sets aside political wrangling 
     to provide the necessary protection for police officers who 
     risk their lives each day and night and for the people that 
     legislator serves.

  As Members of the House continue to send smoke signals with this 
bill, we are wasting precious time posturing and playing politics with 
a crime measure of life saving importance to each and every individual 
and neighborhood in this Nation. This is not a measure to be used as a 
platform on which we should campaign or attempt to weaken the 
President. This is not a bill we can afford to withhold from the people 
for even just one more day. As we waste this precious time posturing 
and politicking, we risk losing more officers like officer Osborne. And 
we risk losing to our crime plagued streets more 15-year-olds like the 
one in the back of his patrol car by not banning the sale of handguns 
to minors who will take somebody's life and at the same time subject 
his own to a life of imprisonment.
  Are the lives of the people we are sent here to represent not sacred 
enough to set aside the status quo of political posturing and 
politicking for this life-saving package that will also restore safety 
and sanity to the streets of America?
  This is the first bill of its kind, Mr. Speaker, to evenly distribute 
funds for punishment, more police officers, and prevention programs. It 
is the first anticrime bill to come this close to becoming law in 6 
years. A balanced approach that evenly provides protection and 
prevention approaches already tested on the streets will, I am 
confident, help us reclaim our streets and win the war on crime and is 
worthy of our approval.
  Nevertheless, some Members, particularly from the other side of the 
aisle, have attacked this bill--claiming its preventive measures are 
nothing but pork.
  For instance, the minority leader, Mr. Michel of Illinois, just last 
week called this measure, and I quote ``an unholy trinity of pork, 
posturing, and partisanship.''
  During their rounds on this weekend's network talkshows, we heard 
Republicans blast as pork the prevention programs such as midnight 
basketball, and gang prevention grants. Which I thought--based on what 
I was hearing--were nothing but partisan proposals put forth by 
Democrats.
  But what is odd, Mr. Speaker, is that the Republicans, in their 
malicious attempt to divide this House and sink this proposal, favored 
these programs less than 1 month ago.
  Let's look at the facts. Title 10, subtitle E of the Republican 
anticrime proposal offered just last month called for $128 million for, 
and I quote ``sporting and recreational equipment *  *  * meals *  *  * 
an initial basic physical examination *  *  * first aid *  *  * and 
nutrition guidance.'' The same subtitle calls for even more money for, 
and I quote ``supervised sports programs.''
  And there's more. The same section of the Republican's anticrime 
proposal calls for, and I quote ``sports mentoring and coaching 
programs in which athletes serve as role models for juveniles to teach 
that athletics provides a positive alternative to drug and gang 
involvement.''
  First, I want to applaud my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
for including these preventive programs. These initiatives show that 
Democrats and Republicans are in fact on a more common ground than the 
public seems to have been hoodwinked into believing in terms of finding 
solutions to the problems that confront America's youth. However, this 
language runs contrary to this ``trilogy of pork'' pontification we 
heard preached by Republicans throughout the past week. Sporting and 
recreational equipment? Supervised sports programs? Sports mentoring 
and coaching programs to teach that athletics provide a positive 
alternative to drug and gang involvement? The creation of boys and 
girls clubs in public housing? Sounds like midnight basketball to me! 
In fact, I don't know whether to be angry or elated. These are the type 
of programs we democrats have been defending for the last week when in 
fact they are bipartisan proposals.
  Now is the time for Republicans to come out from under the Rocks 
where they have been hiding--while their leadership has allowed but a 
few of their leaders to speak their untruths--and accept and endorse 
the programs they have in fact supported and now run from.
  Republicans not only will accept preventive measures like midnight 
basketball, Mr. Speaker, in fact they have proposed them. However, rank 
and file Republicans can only support them when their leaders unshackle 
them from silence and allow them to speak for and embrace what they 
know is right. To remain muzzled so as to gain political ground and 
attempt to cripple our President at the expense of our communities, 
constituents and law enforcement officers is wrong. Republicans, take 
off your muzzles. Come out and publicly support these preventive 
measures you have proposed.
  Crime is not a partisan issue. Safe communities free from crime and 
drugs are nonpartisan, and I call on Democrats and Republicans alike to 
pass this crime bill and restore sanity and security to our streets in 
the name of Officer Osborne and even the life of the 150-year-old whose 
life is now lost to life imprisonment.

                          ____________________