[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 10, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H10118-H10120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MONITORING OF STUDENT RIGHT TO KNOW AND CAMPUS SECURITY ACT OF 1990

  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 470) expressing the sense of the Congress that 
the Department of Education should play a more active role in 
monitoring and enforcing compliance with the provisions of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 related to campus crime.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 470

       Whereas crime on our Nation's college campuses is a growing 
     concern among students, parents, and educators;
       Whereas Congress passed the Student Right to Know and 
     Campus Security Act in 1990 so that students and parents 
     would have access to information with respect to crimes 
     occurring on college campuses;
       Whereas Congress intended that information on crime be 
     provided so that students could take steps to protect 
     themselves from becoming victims;
       Whereas Congress was particularly concerned with the timely 
     reporting to students instances of violent crimes occurring 
     on campus; and
       Whereas questions have been raised with respect to 
     compliance with the Campus Security Act and enforcement by 
     the Department of Education: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That in order for students to have information 
     vital for their own safety on our Nation's college campuses, 
     it is the sense of the Congress that the Department of 
     Education should make the monitoring of compliance and 
     enforcement of the provisions of section 485(f) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 with respect to compiling and 
     disseminating required crime statistics and campus policies a 
     priority.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] and the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. 
Kildee] each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling].
  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Today we are considering House Resolution 470, expressing the sense 
of the Congress that the Department of Education should make the 
monitoring of compliance and enforcement of the Crime Awareness and 
Campus Safety Security Act a priority.
  It is most appropriate that we consider this legislation at this 
time. This is the time of year when tens of thousands of young people 
are filling college and university campuses throughout the United 
States.
  Many of these students are away from home for the first time. They 
are excited. They are thinking of the friends they will meet, the 
classes they will take, school activities in which they will 
participate, and other thoughts which normally fill the minds of 
college students.
  Few, if any, of them are thinking that they could be the victim of a 
crime on campus. And this is where the problem begins. Colleges and 
universities are not safe, carefree havens from the outside world. The 
same crimes which occur in our neighborhoods and on our city streets 
take place on college campuses. Students are robbed, they are raped, 
and they are murdered, and many times by other students and many times 
under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.

                              {time}  1430

  The Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act was first signed into law 
by President Bush on November 8, 1990. It requires institutions of 
higher education participating in the title IV student aid programs to 
provide yearly statistics to students, faculty and prospective students 
with respect to the number of crimes reported on campus in the 
following categories: Murder, forcible and non-forcible sex offenses, 
robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.
  In addition to the reporting of statistics, institutions must make 
timely reports to the campus community of those crimes considered to be 
a threat to other students and employees in order to aid in the 
prevention of further crimes on campus.
  Crime on college campuses is a very serious problem. Witnesses 
testifying at a June hearing on campus crime before the Subcommittee on 
Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-long Learning agreed that 
crime is a major concern of students, parents and college 
administrators.
  During this hearing, several witnesses called into question the 
Department of Education's commitment to enforcing compliance with the 
Campus Security Act. In part, their concerns were based on a quote by 
the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Postsecondary Education which 
appeared in the New York Times on January 7, 1996. When asked about 
enforcement of the Campus Security Act, the Assistant Secretary said, 
``We aren't going to essentially establish a major monitoring effort in 
this area.''

  I share the concerns expressed by those witnesses, and I would like 
to remind the Assistant Secretary that this law was enacted for a 
reason. Students were being raped, murdered, and robbed on our Nation's 
campuses, and this information was being hidden from other students. 
Students who are provided information on crime on campuses can and will 
take steps to protect themselves. If they are not informed, they can 
become victims of campus crime.
  The Department of Education must make certain that institutions are 
complying with the Campus Security Act. Safety of students must be the 
No. 1 priority. If the Department of Education fails to fulfill its 
enforcement responsibilities, we will have to consider other measures 
aimed at improving safety awareness on our college campuses.
  One such measure under consideration is the Open Campus Police Logs 
Act of 1995. This bill, introduced by the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. 
Duncan], would require institutions of higher education to maintain a 
daily log of all crimes reported to their police or security 
department, and make such logs open to public inspection.
  All of us must work together to ensure campus safety for our college 
students, but we cannot do this if the law is not being enforced. I 
would urge my colleagues to support passage of House Resolution 470.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 470, expressing 
the sense of Congress that the Department of Education should play a 
more active role in monitoring and enforcing compliance of the Student 
Right to Know and Campus Security Act of 1990, signed into law by 
President George Bush.
  I have always been a strong supporter of the Student Right to Know 
and Campus Security Act since it was enacted 6 years ago, and believe 
that it is important for the Department of Education to make the 
enforcement of this act a priority. This law was enacted in order to 
highlight the issue of

[[Page H10119]]

crime on campus and to make information about campus crime and campus 
security policies available to the public.
  This law also provides incentives for institutions to develop safer 
campus environments. I am certain that this issue will be revisited 
again during the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act next 
Congress, when we evaluate this program and its effectiveness.
  We must continue to do all we can to protect students from crime on 
our Nation's college campuses, and I urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Maryland [Mrs. Morella].
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
time.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 470. This 
important measure calls our attention to the problem of crime on our 
college campuses and sends a message to the Department of Education to 
make enforcement of the Campus Security Act a top priority.
  I commend Chairman Bill Goodling for his commitment to our Nation's 
students, from kindergarten through high school, in transition from 
school to the job market, and on college campuses in pursuit of a 
higher education. He is a man who believes that every child in America 
deserves the best education possible in a safe environment.
  Congressman Goodling introduced legislation during the 101st Congress 
that was incorporated into the Campus Security Act to require schools 
that receive title IV student aid to compile and distribute campus 
crime data. It is essential that the Department of Education promote 
safety awareness by enforcing compliance with the Campus Security Act. 
Students must be informed about crimes that have been committed on 
their college campus so they can take precautions to prevent further 
crimes from occurring.

  At the University of Maryland, President William Kirwan recently 
approved a plan to install video surveillance cameras on the College 
Park Campus. This decision followed five armed robberies committed on 
campus early in the year.
  There also has been an increase in the number of rapes at the 
university. As cochair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I 
have long been a fighter of violence against women. During the 
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the Campus Security Act 
was amended to require institutions to develop a policy regarding 
sexual assaults. Indeed, it is a necessity that the Department of 
Education enforce compliance with this provision.
  Listen to these statistics: one forcible rape is reported to police 
every 5 minutes; an estimated 167,000 women were raped each year 
between 1979 and 1987; the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1 
out of 500 women will be a victim of rape by a stranger during her 
lifetime.
  Although these statistics are not limited to college campuses, they 
do focus the need for institutions to keep their students well-informed 
about campus crimes. They especially focus attention on the need for 
schools to develop policies regarding campus anticrime programs aimed 
at preventing sexual assaults.
  I was one of the sponsors of the Violence Against Women Act [VAWA], 
provisions of which were incorporated into the crime bill during the 
103d Congress. One of those provisions calls for a national baseline 
study on campus sexual assaults. This study would examine the scope of 
the problem of campus assaults and the effectiveness of institutional 
policies in addressing such crimes and protecting the victims. 
Enforcement of the Campus Security Act by the Department of Education 
would facilitate the baseline study on campus sexual assaults.
  The litmus test of the 90's will be how we restore security and 
physical safety to our youth and to our citizens, in our homes and in 
our schools. We, in Congress, are constantly engaged in heated debate 
about most issues. However, I think that we can all agree that support 
for House Resolution 470 is essential and that the Department of 
Education should actively enforce compliance with the Campus Security 
Act.
  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania [Mr. English].
  Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support 
of House Resolution 470. In my view, it is imperative that the 
Department of Education actively enforce compliance of the Campus Crime 
and Security Awareness Act, an important tool in ensuring our young 
people's safety at colleges and universities.
  Students should be worrying about exams and term papers, not their 
personal safety on campus. Unfortunately, what we have seen as a 
general trend is that campus crime has been on the rise. It is 
imperative that students, faculty, and parents are aware of the number 
of crimes reported on campus within the prior year. This is important 
life-saving information.
  The 101st Congress enacted into law the Campus Crime and Security 
Awareness Act as part of the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security 
Act. This legislation requires that any school receiving title IV 
funding report to any faculty, student, and perspective students that 
request it a yearly number of crimes reported.
  Schools are required to report in a timely fashion to the campus 
community on those crimes which could pose a threat to other students 
or faculty. This offers students, the institutions and the campus 
community an opportunity to exchange information and take precautions 
to prevent future crimes.
  The Department of Education, in my view, should take an active role 
in monitoring compliance of the Campus Security Act to ensure that 
colleges and universities do everything possible to make campuses a 
safe and secure learning environment.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this 
important resolution.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Oregon [Ms. Furse].
  Ms. FURSE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  I rise in strong support of House Resolution 470. This legislation 
expresses the sense of Congress of the importance of requiring colleges 
and universities to receive title IV student aid to provide yearly 
crime statistics. Students, parents, administrators, faculty, 
prospective students and the communities surrounding these campuses 
have a right to know the crime rate.
  In 1990, Congress passed the Student Right to Know and Campus 
Security Act. This was to give students, parents and employees access 
to information on campus crimes. In addition, institutes of higher 
learning were required to make timely reports to the college community 
of crimes committed that are considered a threat to employees and 
students.
  Unfortunately, this legislation has not been as strictly enforced as 
it should be. House Resolution 470 expresses the sense of Congress that 
we must make a priority of reporting crime statistics on college 
campuses. The Department of Education needs to be more active in 
overseeing and administering these laws, as campus crime is a concern 
we all share, whether we live in Oregon or any other State of this 
great country.
  This legislation will allow those that live and work around college 
campuses to take the necessary measures to avoid becoming victims 
themselves. Please join me and vote ``yes'' on House Resolution 470.
  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I would like at this point to appeal to all the 
presidents of colleges and universities to stand tall and be firm 
against those who would pressure them, be they coaches on the campus or 
alumni. There is no excuse for some outstanding athlete to go free 
after battering women or committing rape or breaking laws in 
relationship to alcohol and other drugs. To use the excuse that you are 
trying to save that individual cannot be used when you are thinking 
about the other thousands who are there.
  As a high school principal and superintendent, many times I would 
have liked to have turned my head on something that someone may have 
done to try to give that person still one more chance, but you always 
have to realize what kind of an example does that set for the other 
5,000 or 6,000 or 7,000 for whom you have a responsibility?

[[Page H10120]]

  So when we think about campus crime, we also have to think in terms 
of getting those who are leading those institutions to stand tall 
against tremendous pressure, I realize that, from coaches and from the 
alumni associations.
  Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, today, the House will consider House 
Resolution 470 which deals with the Student Right to Know and Campus 
Security Act.
  The Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act signed into law by 
President Bush required colleges and universities throughout the United 
States to provide their students information on campus crime statistics 
and school policies related to campus security. This was a first step 
in providing students necessary information if they were to protect 
themselves from becoming victims of campus crime.
  During the course of a hearing held in June by the Subcommittee on 
Postsecondary Education, Training and Life-Long Learning which I chair, 
some concerns were raised that colleges and universities were not 
accurately reporting crime statistics. In addition, several witnesses 
did not believe that the Department of Education considered the 
enforcement of the Campus Security Act a priority.
  Since that June hearing, I have been in contact with Secretary Riley 
with respect to enforcement of the Campus Security Act. The resolution 
before the House today, puts our support on the record for the actions 
we insist Secretary Riley take with respect to improving and ensuring 
compliance with the Campus Security Act.
  We intend to keep a close watch on this issue. I think that we all 
agree that it is imperative that colleges and universities comply with 
the Campus Security Act if we are going to accomplish our goal of 
protecting students.
  I would also like to submit for the Record a letter received from the 
International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators 
[IACLEA] in support of House Resolution 470.

         International Association of Campus Law Enforcement 
           Administrators,
                                      Hartford, CT, July 30, 1996.
     Hon. William Goodling,
     U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Goodling: It is my pleasure to write to 
     express support for House Resolution 470 on behalf of the 
     International Association of Campus Law Enforcement 
     Administrators and current IACLEA President Yvon McNicoll of 
     the University of Ottawa.
       IACLEA exists to promote the common interest in, and public 
     education concerning, the administration of law enforcement 
     programs including the operation and development of life 
     safety and property safety programs on college and university 
     campuses. It has long been the position of our Association 
     that statistical information developed from campus law 
     enforcement records and crime reports should be made 
     available to the members of the community, and that an 
     awareness of criminal incidents which are occurring will 
     enable community members to take appropriate precautions to 
     avoid becoming victims themselves.
       Although not perfect, the provisions of section 485(f) of 
     the Higher Education of 1965 with respect to compiling and 
     disseminating campus crime statistics and security policies 
     represent a reasonable prescription for the framework of a 
     program of safety awareness at postsecondary institutions. 
     Many college and university security awareness programs go 
     well beyond the minimum provisions established by statute, 
     but there is undoubtedly room for improvement in some 
     quarters. An active program of compliance monitoring on the 
     part of the US Department of Education should lead to better 
     information exchange regarding the intent of the statute and 
     the identification of approaches which could serve as models 
     for institutions whose campus security programs may benefit 
     from enhancement.
       IACLEA would be pleased to assist in this endeavor in any 
     possible.
           Sincerely,
                                                Douglas F. Tuttle,
                                 Immediate Past President, IACLEA.

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution. I believe it is very important that we provide the public 
access to information about the crime on the campuses of our Nation's 
colleges and universities.
  When a family chooses to move to a new town or city, they base that 
decision on many factors including crime rates. When a family begins to 
decide what college or university they will choose, they also should 
have the right to know about the crime rate of that area.
  I have been working very hard with my colleagues on this issue. In 
fact, I introduced legislation, the Open Campus Police Logs Act of 
1995, which would require colleges and universities to maintain a daily 
log of all crimes committed and make these logs available for public 
inspection.
  This resolution, of which I am a cosponsor, will ensure that the 
Department of Education enforces the Campus Security Act that requires 
institutions to make crime statistics available on a yearly basis.
  I certainly believe this is a step in the right direction.
  Many States have already enacted laws which require colleges and 
universities to make crime statistics public. I believe every mother 
and father in this country should have the right to know whether or not 
the school they are sending their child to is a safe one.
  I think that each student should be able to know what kind of crimes 
have been committed on his or her campus. I also believe they should 
have access to information that will tell them where these crimes are 
committed. This will only help each individual student to take the 
necessary safety precautions to protect him or herself.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for their hard work on 
this issue.
  I urge the passage of this resolution, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madame Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Greene of Utah). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] that 
the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House 
Resolution 470.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. GOODLING. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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