[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 124 (Thursday, August 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    FINAL PASSAGE OF THE CRIME BILL

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, today's dramatic vote means that the 
obstructionists have failed, and the country will finally have the far-
reaching new tools we need to wage a more effective battle against 
crime.
  The greatest threat we face is no longer overseas, but here on our 
streets at home, in every community in America. We have to come to 
grips with crime, and this legislation will do that. It's a balanced 
bill that puts the right emphasis on each of the three ``P''s--police, 
prisons, and prevention.
  In particular, I commend the six Republicans who broke with their 
party's misguided tactic of obstruction on the budget point of order 
earlier today. They're profiles in courage who put the country first, 
and provided the margin of victory for this gratifying and long overdue 
step forward in the war on crime.
  I also commend the majority leader for his extraordinarily skillful 
leadership in guiding the Senate safely and successfully through this 
unconscionable gauntlet of partisan obstruction. Rarely, if ever, has 
his effective leadership been so clearly on display, and the Nation and 
the administration owe him a great debt of thanks.
  In addition, I commend the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who 
has done a brilliant job of preparing this very important legislation. 
The Senate could not have achieved this victory without his effective 
leadership and his eloquence.
  Today's action is an historic victory for all Americans and a major 
watershed in the war on crime. Passage of this legislation by the 
Senate means that President Clinton will sign the strongest, most 
comprehensive crime bill in our history. This measure is both tough on 
crime and smart about crime, and it deserves the strong support of the 
American people.
  This legislation is also a significant victory for Massachusetts and 
every other State. The crime bill will put 100,000 new police on the 
streets of the Nation over the next 6 years, an increase of 20 percent. 
Massachusetts will receive approximately $200 million to hire 2,300 new 
police officers to deal more aggressively and more effectively with the 
problem of crime in our communities.
  We fought hard for a ban on military-style assault weapons to stop 
the flow of these battlefield weapons onto our streets--and we 
succeeded. Among the guns that will be banned is the SKS assault rifle 
that was used to kill two people and wound four others at Simon's Rock 
College in Great Barrington in 1992. That weapon and weapons like it 
should never have been available for sale--and from here on, they never 
will be.
  Three quarters of the funding in this bill is for law enforcement and 
prisons. But police and prisons aren't enough by themselves to deal 
with crime. We also need help for proven programs that can prevent 
crime before it occurs. The funds in this bill to reduce violence 
against women, to support anti-gang programs and to encourage other 
preventive measures are just as important as the police and prison 
funds and deserve this support.
  This crime bill delivers on our commitment to the American people to 
deal more effectively with the crime that is plaguing our streets, our 
neighborhoods, our communities and our entire country. By today's 
action, the Senate has served the country well, and I am confident this 
bill will mark the beginning of a new and more effective phase of the 
all-important war on crime.

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