[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 120 (Sunday, August 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 URGING SUPPORT FOR THE CRIME BILL, WHICH AUTHORIZES PROGRAMS BUT DOES 
                         NOT APPROPRIATE FUNDS

  (Mr. SMITH of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, this bill today is a better bill, 
both for Iowa and the United States, than we had 9 days ago, but let me 
point out, neither bill appropriates money. They only authorize money 
to be appropriated later. We have been appropriating money for these 
same purposes since 1981, without an authorization.
  Mr. Speaker, not one crime has been committed in the last 9 days 
because the bill did not pass 9 days ago, not even one in the whole 
United States. Money was appropriated last week for next year for the 
same purposes as those in this bill. We appropriated money a year ago 
for police, prosecutors, prisons, and crime fighting without this bill.
  What the bill last week did was to raise expectations that social 
programs would squeeze out some of the crime fighting programs. This 
bill that we have before us today, Mr. Speaker, does block grant 13 of 
those programs. That is good. That is a good thing in the new bill 
because it gives local officials more opportunity to use it for the 
program that will best fit the need in their county.
  However, the final decision on appropriations for programs in this 
bill will be made next year in an appropriation bill at that time will 
be decided by a majority of this whole House, not by a majority of 
either caucus.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill does change substantive laws on rules of 
evidence, and applies the death penalty to more local crimes, even the 
Supreme Court Justices who fashioned that law in 1972 now say that was 
a failed experiment, but that is in both the bills. I think we should 
pass a bill today and get it over to the Senate.
  Those who said we should have settled for the original bill were 
simply wrong and those of us who voted to insist on changes have been 
proven right.
  Waiting 8 days to pass this crime bill instead of the original one 
represents a big victory for crime fighting in both Iowa and the United 
States.

                          ____________________