[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 64 (Thursday, May 9, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 BILL PASSES HOUSE INCREASING PENALTIES FOR WITNESS AND JURY TAMPERING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity 
to thank you for your support this week of legislation which I brought 
forward through the Committee on the Judiciary.
  I wish to thank the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hyde], chairman; the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum], chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Crime; the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers], ranking member; and 
the gentleman from New York [Mr. Schumer], subcommittee ranking member. 
Each of them played a part in making sure legislation which I 
introduced and unanimously passed this week which calls for additional 
penalties for witness intimidation, as well for juror tampering and 
juror intimidation.
  This legislation was the outgrowth of an article that was part of a 
series in the Wall Street Journal which outlined a few years ago the 
fact that some of our Federal defendants saw fit to use self-help and 
intimidation on witnesses and jurors to get out of the substantive 
crime for which they were charged, and they had rather do that because 
the law actually provided at that time the disincentive to use the 
tampering and risk maybe being found guilty of tampering, and they 
were, but they were found not guilty because of self-help, an 
illegality, of the major charge. Our legislation this week will change 
all that.

  From now on, hopefully with the Senate's approval and the President's 
signature, our legislation this week will make sure that the penalties 
will be equal, the substantive events and the offense as well to tamper 
with witnesses and jurors.
  I know that this will do a lot for us across the country. My own 
District Attorney Michael Marino from Montgomery County, PA, who 
endorsed legislation early on and also helped us receive the 
endorsement of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association had 
outlined very well that this legislation would very much help him 
prosecute criminals because witnesses and jurors would feel more 
secure.
  In our neighboring county in Philadelphia, District Attorney Lynn 
Abraham had for a long time desired this kind of legislation because 
she has had difficulty getting the high conviction rate she wants for 
homicides. While her office does an excellent job, they are plagued 
with a problem of witness and juror intimidation in their cases.
  Legislation like this and similar legislation to be passed in the 50 
States for the State courts will go a long way for us in helping to 
make sure that prosecutions proceed, that justice prevails, and that 
those who are charged with crimes cannot use self-help any longer to 
exculpate themselves from those crimes and interfere with the court 
system.

                              {time}  2230

  I also wish to note this week that this was an excellent week for our 
crime victims because three other bills were passed.
  Megan's bill, by Dick Zimmer of New Jersey; that legislation will 
require the registration of known sex offenders.
  And, as well, legislation from Dick Chrysler of Michigan, that is 
going to add additional penalties for those who would commit violent 
crimes against children or violent crimes against seniors. They will in 
fact receive greater sentences than the Federal statutes call for 
today.
  And, finally, legislation from Ed Royce of California. This was a 
quest of his constituents, many of whom had come forward to him and 
especially one witness who appeared this week at the Capitol, 
explaining to us in very poignant terms about the problems of stalking 
in her State, the threats to those who are stalked and how we need 
tough Federal laws to prevent this crime and strong, stiff sentences 
for those who would commit. Ed Royce's bill this week will for the 
first time put teeth into the law, discourage stalking, and make sure 
that those who commit such heinous crimes will have to answer for them.
  So I am happy to congratulate my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle for their bipartisan effort to help us fight crime, improve 
public safety, and make sure that our courts are in fact free of the 
intervention by those who would destroy the system, create threatening 
situations for victims, I think destroy the public's confidence in our 
own law enforcement. But these bills this week have made a difference.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support, and I thank the 
Speaker and my colleagues for your indulgence tonight.

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