[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14643-S14645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED 
                   AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. KOHL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin is recognized.


                           Amendment No. 2843

 (Purpose: To provide for the evaluation of crime prevention programs, 
                        and for other purposes)

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise to offer an amendment which I will 
send to the desk after I explain it.
  The amendment is being offered on behalf of myself and Senator Cohen, 
and cosponsors also include Senator Biden and Senator Snowe.
  In last year's crime bill, Mr. President, we authorized $300 
million--somewhat in excess of $300 million--for crime prevention. The 
split, as you recall, was 80 percent for law enforcement and 20 percent 
for prevention.
  The reasoning at that time was if we are going to have a balanced 
crime bill, we have to be willing to spend some modest amount of money 
on effective crime prevention measures and that an 80-20 split between 
law enforcement and crime prevention was reasonable, and we passed the 
crime bill on that basis.
  Well, what we are attempting to do today is strike virtually all of 
that crime prevention money. It is an attempt to strike it from this 
bill so that we will have a bill devoted entirely to spending for law 
enforcement to the total exclusion of crime prevention.
  It seems to me that is not what we intended to do and that is not 
what we should do and not what our country needs. There is no question 
that spending a modest amount of money in a crime bill on trying to set 
up programs that have a proven record of success at keeping young 
people from getting involved in crime in the first place, setting up a 
modest amount of money in a crime bill to do these kinds of things is a 
reasonable effort. It should not be sidetracked.
  We debated it at great length last year before we passed the crime 
bill and decided on an 80 to 20 split. There are programs like the 
block grant programs. There are weed and seed programs. There are 
programs which have been evaluated and demonstrated to work.
  What I am suggesting is that we put back 25 percent, which is $80 
million, out of that over $300 million that was authorized last year 
for prevention. I and Senator Cohen, Senator Biden, and Senator Snowe 
are desiring to put back $80 million in proven effective crime 
prevention programs.
  Now, that money is being taken from overfunding of the FBI for this 
year. When I say overfunding, it is $80 million that the FBI did not 
ask for, that the President did not ask for, that the House did not 
fund. It is an extra $80 million that has been given to the FBI. 

[[Page S 14644]]
 We are taking that $80 million and putting it into a very modest 
account to fight crime by way of prevention. And that is what this 
amendment is all about.
  Before Senator Cohen speaks, I send the amendment to the desk and ask 
for its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will report the 
amendment.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Wisconsin [Mr. Kohl], for himself and Mr. 
     Cohen, propose an amendment numbered 2843.

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that further 
reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 15, line 16, strike ``$282,500,000'' and insert 
     ``$202,500,000''.
       On page 15, line 23, strike ``$168,280,000'' and insert 
     ``$88,280,000''.
       On page 25, line 19, strike ``$100,900,000'' and insert 
     ``$130,900,000''.
       On page 25, line 22, insert ``$30,000,000 shall be for the 
     Local Crime Prevention Block Grant Program, as authorized by 
     section 30201 of the Violent Crime Control and Law 
     Enforcement Act of 1994;'' before ``$4,250,000''.
       On page 27, line 5, strike ``$50,000,000'' and insert 
     ``$30,000,000''.
       On page 27, between lines 17 and 18, insert the following:
       ``To carry out chapter A of subpart 2 of part E of title I 
     of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, 
     for discretionary grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial 
     State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Programs, 
     $50,000,000, which shall be derived from the Violent Crime 
     Reduction Trust Fund.
       On page 30, line 20, strike ``$23,500,000'' and insert 
     ``$43,500,000''.
       On page 30, line 20, strike ``$13,500,000'' and insert 
     ``$43,500,000''.
       On page 30, lines 23 through 25, strike ``and $10,000,000 
     shall be derived from discretionary grants provided under 
     part C of title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
     Prevention Act'' and insert ``funded by the Violent Crime 
     Reduction Trust Fund''.
       On page 31, line 26, strike ``$144,000,000'' and insert 
     ``$164,000,000''.
       On page 32, line 5, strike ``$10,000,000'' and insert 
     ``$30,000,000''.
       On page 32, line 8, strike ``gangs;'' and insert ``gangs, 
     of which $20,000,000 shall be derived from the discretionary 
     grants provided under the Edward Byrne Memorial State and 
     Local Law Enforcement Assistance Programs funded by the 
     Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund;''
       On page 64, between lines 22 and 23, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 121. EVALUATION OF CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND 
                   DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION 
                   RESEARCH AND EVALUATION STRATEGY

       (a) Evaluation of Crime Prevention Programs.--The Attorney 
     General shall provide, directly or through grants and 
     contracts, for the comprehensive and thorough evaluation of 
     the effectiveness of the following programs funded by this 
     title:
       (1) The Local Crime Prevention Block Grant program under 
     subtitle B of title III of the Violent Crime Control and Law 
     Enforcement Act of 1994.
       (2) The Weed and Seed Program.
       (3) The Youth Gangs Program under part D of title II of the 
     Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974.
       (b) National Crime Prevention Research and Evaluation 
     Strategy.--
       (1) Strategy.--Not later than 9 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall formulate 
     and publish a unified national crime prevention research and 
     evaluation strategy that will result in timely reports to 
     Congress and to State and local governments regarding the 
     impact and effectiveness of the crime and violence prevention 
     initiatives described in subsection (a).
       (2) Studies.--Consistent with the strategy developed 
     pursuant to paragraph (1), the Attorney General may use crime 
     prevention research and evaluation funds reserved under 
     subsection (e) to conduct studies and demonstrations 
     regarding the effectiveness of crime prevention programs and 
     strategies that are designed to achieve the same purposes as 
     the programs under this section, without regard to whether 
     such programs receive Federal funding.
       (c) Evaluation and Research Criteria.--
       (1) Independent evaluations and research.--Evaluations and 
     research studies conducted pursuant to this section shall be 
     independent in nature, and shall employ rigorous and 
     scientifically recognized standards and methodologies.
       (2) Content of evaluations.--Evaluations conducted pursuant 
     to this section shall include measures of--
       (A) reductions in delinquency, juvenile crime, youth gang 
     activity, youth substance abuse, and other high risk-factors;
       (B) reductions in risk factors in young people that 
     contribute to juvenile violence, including academic failure, 
     excessive school absenteeism, and dropping out of school;
       (C) reductions in risk factors in the community, schools, 
     and family environments that contribute to juvenile violence; 
     and
       (D) the increase in the protective factors that reduce the 
     likelihood of delinquency and criminal behavior.
       (d) Compliance With Evaluation Mandate.--The Attorney 
     General may require the recipients of Federal assistance 
     under this Act to collect, maintain, and report information 
     considered to be relevant to any evaluation conducted 
     pursuant to subsection (a), and to conduct and participate in 
     specified evaluation and assessment activities and functions.
       (e) Reservation of Funds for Evaluation and Research
       (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall reserve not 
     less than 2 percent, and not more than 3 percent, of the 
     amounts appropriated to carry out the programs described in 
     subsection (a) in each fiscal year to carry out the 
     evaluation and research required by this section.
       (2) Assistance to grantees and evaluated programs.--To 
     facilitate the conduct and defray the costs of crime 
     prevention program evaluation and research, the Attorney 
     General shall use funds reserved under this subsection to 
     provide compliance assistance to--
       (A) grantees under this programs described in subsection 
     (a) who are selected to participate in evaluations pursuant 
     to subsection (d); and
       (B) other agencies and organizations that are requested to 
     participate in evaluations and research pursuant to 
     subsection (b)(2).

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, let me express my support for what the 
Senator from Wisconsin is seeking to do. We have a choice to make in 
our society as to whether we are going to try to have intervention 
programs for young people who are on their way to becoming criminals, 
or whether we are simply going to sit back and say we are going to 
build more prisons and more jails and have more incarceration.
  I was interested yesterday, to read in the Washington Post--I was 
shocked, really to read in the Washington Post yesterday a story of a 
little town in Texas where some kids, they are not old enough to be 
called adolescents, they are children--whether 6 years old--the Senator 
from Texas may know--6, 7, 10, ranging all the way to 11--they happened 
to go by and they took a horse and beat that horse to death. They 
crippled the horse so it could not move. Then they jammed a stick up 
its nostril. Then they took some kind of a bludgeon instrument and beat 
the horse's head until it died. They then went on to school and they 
laughed and joked about it. And they were telling all their friends 
what a joy it was they had just engaged in, beating this horse to 
death.
  They finally were apprehended later that day or the next day and were 
somewhat surprised to find themselves forced to stay overnight in a 
local detention facility. But what was surprising about it is these 
young kids were really expressing their crime, as such, against this 
animal in a positive fashion. They were laughing about it. They were 
joking about it. And the fear that was expressed in that community is 
what is going to happen a couple years from now? What is happening in 
our society that we have got young people like this who take joy and 
pleasure in killing an innocent animal? What is going to be the future 
down the line when they start turning whatever is inside them toward 
their fellow human beings?
  So, Mr. President, we have a choice here. We can say we are going to 
put them away, we are going to lock them up, we are going to wait until 
they really do something serious by committing some other crime and 
then put them in an incarceration facility. That has been one solution 
that we are moving toward.
  This is an opportunity to provide block grant money to States and let 
them decide how the money should be spent. Let them decide whether or 
not they are going to have weed and seed programs. Let Wisconsin decide 
with its funds, whether they want to put police officers into high 
schools and junior high schools and working with kids before they get 
into the fast lane to crime.
  I read a book sometime ago called ``There Are No Children Here.'' It 
talked about what is happening in our inner cities, in particular; that 
these young kids are growing up under circumstances in which they have 
to duck bullets whizzing by in the nighttime; that they do not have any 
opportunity to ever walk the streets safely.
  So States and local communities ought to have an opportunity to come 
up with programs. Now, I do not know much about midnight basketball. I 
am a professional basketball fan. Maybe 

[[Page S 14645]]
midnight basketball works in some inner cities, I do not know. It does 
not apply to me. It might work in Chicago. It might work in cities in 
Wisconsin.
  Why should we make that judgment? This is an opportunity to provide 
some limited funding for States to employ juvenile prevention programs.
  Mr. President, it is worrisome that the number of young males who are 
aged from 14 to 17 will grow over the next 5 years. We can expect to 
see record levels of juvenile crime. There is one expert who estimates 
that this demographic trend is going to produce a minimum of 30,000 
more muggers, murderers, and chronic offenders than we currently have. 
Are we going to keep building jails and prisons, and keep putting our 
kids away, or are we going to try to intervene in the early years to 
see if we can prevent them from heading down the pathway to crime?
  So I join with enthusiasm my colleague from Wisconsin. I think it is 
a very important amendment, and I hope it will enjoy the support of a 
majority of our colleagues.
  Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.

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