[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 46 (Thursday, April 17, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3349-S3350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 601. A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit 
taking a child hostage in order to evade arrest; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  S. 602. A bill to provide a mandatory minimum sentence for State 
crimes involving the use of a firearm, impose work requirements for 
prisoners, and prohibit the provision of luxury items to prisoners; to 
the Committee on the Judiciary.


                           CRIME LEGISLATION

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce two bills 
intended to protect innocent Americans from the violent will of 
criminals and fugitives. One need take only a quick review of recent 
statistics to realize the chilling scope of our nation's crime 
problems. For instance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 
11 million Americans were the victims of violent crime in 1994 alone. 
The Bureau of Justice Statistics also reports that approximately 3.5 
million Americans were accosted at gunpoint during that same year. 
These statistics should galvanize us all into taking concrete steps to 
protect innocent Americans against senseless victimization and turn the 
tide against criminals once and for all. My bills will help to do just 
that.

  The first bill I introduce today, the Crime Control Act of 1997, will 
ensure that an individual convicted of committing a violent crime or 
engaging in drug trafficking activities while in possession of a gun, 
will go to jail for 10 years, and not a day less. If an offender fires 
a gun while committing those crimes, that offender will go to jail for 
20 years. And should that criminal make the mistake of using a 
machinegun or a gun with a silencer to commit those crimes, that 
criminal will be incarcerated for 30 years. Once imprisoned, the Crime 
Control Act provides hardened criminals with no option for parole or 
reduced sentences that would allow them another chance to harm innocent 
citizens.
  Simply put, the passage of my Crime Control Act ensures that if you 
do the crime, you will most certainly do the time. And under my bill, 
that time won't be easy. A key initiative of the Crime Control Act is 
the creation of work programs for all able bodied prisoners by the 
Attorney General. In addition, my bill prohibits the government from 
providing any entertainment devices, like televisions, radios, or 
stereos, for use in individual prisoner cells. Federal prisons are not 
the place for entertainment. They are not intended to be fun. They are 
the places where individuals repay their debt to society and in the 
case of violent criminals, it is a very large debt indeed. My Crime 
Control Act makes sure that violent criminals pay that debt, and I hope 
my colleagues will join me in supporting this important and effective 
crime control measure.
  The second bill I introduce today applies directly to actions taken 
by fugitives who resist arrest. Over the past few years, America has 
witnessed an unfortunate trend involving standoffs between the U.S. 
Government and parties who reject its authority to enforce the laws of 
this land--specifically, the incidents in Waco, TX; Ruby Ridge, ID; and 
Garfield County, MT. Thankfully, the episode involving the Freemen did 
not escalate to violence or bloodshed. Regrettably, this does not hold 
true for Waco or Ruby Ridge, where there was a tragic loss of life to 
civilians and Government agents alike.
  Each of these situations jeopardized children's lives--innocent 
children who had no choice in the role they played in these standoffs. 
In Waco, 25 young children under the age of 15 died in the blaze that 
spread throughout the compound. These deaths occurred despite the 
repeated efforts by Federal agents to encourage Branch Davidians 
leaders to allow children to leave the compound.
  At Ruby Ridge, a 14-year-old died after being caught in gunfire. And 
during the Freeman standoff, Americans across the Nation held their 
breath--praying that violence would not erupt. Once again, the lives of 
children were placed in jeopardy. But thankfully, this time, the 
children--and adults--emerged unharmed.
  As we have seen, tragedy can occur in these very tense situations. 
Above all else, we need to ensure that children are kept out of these 
situations in the future. People who arm themselves after failing to 
comply with warrants or because they seek to avoid arrest must realize 
that, whether or not it is intended, children are implicated in these 
standoffs. We cannot allow this to continue any longer. We cannot allow 
another child's life to be endangered in this manner.
  This bill seeks to protect children from harm in these standoff 
situations. My bill would make it a crime to detain a child when two 
conditions are met: if a person is trying to evade arrest or avoid 
complying with a warrant, and that person uses force, or threatens to 
use force, against a Federal agent. Any person convicted of violating 
this act would be imprisoned for 10-25 years. If a child is injured, 
the penalty would be increased to 20-35 years. If a child is killed, 
the penalty would be life imprisonment.
  No law can ever assure that children will be kept free from harm. But 
this legislation will help assure that children do not become 
inadvertent, innocent pawns when violent situations arise. It will 
provide a deterrent to involving a child in any standoff--and severe 
penalties for those who ignore the law.
  Both of the bills I introduce today are aimed at protecting the 
innocents in our society, and I urge my colleagues to support them. 
America needs to be a place where innocent citizens do not have to fear 
for their life

[[Page S3350]]

because gun-toting criminals and drug pushers linger on the streets. It 
needs to be a place where children are not the captives of adults 
intent upon resisting arrest. Freedom from violence and captivity are 
basic tenets of our society, which most Americans enjoy and respect. 
Those among us who don't share our respect for the laws of our society 
must realize that their actions are criminal, and that in America, 
criminal actions have repercussions. The passage of these bills will 
make sure that they do.
                                 ______