[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         JUVENILE JUSTICE BILL PROMOTES SAFETY IN THE CLASSROOM

  (Mr. CHABOT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, this week we are honoring this Nation's 
teachers, those hardworking men and women who under increasingly 
difficult circumstances train and mold young minds. The work teachers 
do today will influence those young Americans every day of their lives, 
and they are to be commended for their dedication.
  As my colleagues know, too many of our Nation's schools have become 
havens for drugs and gangs, endangering our children and our teachers. 
When we consider the Juvenile Crime Control Act later today, we are 
going to do something about this problem. Language I was able to 
incorporate into the legislation with the cooperation and support of 
the gentleman from Florida [Mr. McCollum], the chairman, will permit 
cities and counties to use Federal block grant funds to protect 
students and teachers from gangs and drugs and violent crime in their 
schools.
  Mr. Speaker, when parents send their children off to school, they 
should not have to worry about their safety. The same goes for the 
families of those who teach our children. Sadly, we cannot guarantee 
their safety, but we can help. We can pass the Juvenile Crime Control 
Act today.

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