[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3442-S3444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KOHL:
  S. 716. A bill to provide for the prevention of juvenile crime, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


            the 21st century safe and sound communities act

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a proposal for reducing 
juvenile crime -- the ``21st Century Safe and Sound Communities Act.'' 
In the past few years, we have begun to make real advances in fighting 
youth violence; in fact, in cities across the country, juvenile crime 
has started to fall. For example, in three ``Weed & Seed'' 
neighborhoods in Milwaukee, violent felonies dropped 47 percent, gun 
crimes fell 46 percent, and crime overall was down 21 percent. And 
after Boston implemented a citywide anti-crime plan, the number of 
juveniles murdered declined 80 percent, and in more than two years not 
a single child was killed by a gun. Not one child. Through a program 
called ``Safe and Sound,'' I have already worked hard with other public 
officials and business leaders to expand Milwaukee's success citywide. 
Now we need to build on what works, in order to protect our children 
and to make as many of our communities across the nation ``safe and 
sound.'' This measure will be an important step in the right direction.
  We do not have to reinvent the wheel to reduce juvenile crime. The 
lesson from Milwaukee, Boston and other cities is clear. There is no 
single magic solution, but a number of steps, taken together, can and 
will make a difference: put dangerous criminals behind bars; keep guns 
out of the hands of juveniles; and create after-school alternatives to 
gangs and drugs. That's what works, and that's what this proposal is 
all about. It builds on each of these three basic strategies and 
expands them to more cities and more rural communities across the 
nation. Let me explain.
  First, we can't even begin to stop violent kids unless we have police 
officers on the street to catch them, and state and local prosecutors 
to try them. So this proposal makes it easier to lock up dangerous 
juveniles by extending the highly successful COPS program, which is due 
to expire after next year, through the year 2004. That will allow us to 
hire at least 50,000 new community police officers. And it provides 
$100 million per year for state and local prosecutors to go after 
juvenile criminals.
  Of course, we can't keep criminals off the streets unless we have a 
place to send them. Unfortunately, although we provide states with 
hundreds of millions of dollars each year to build new prisons, most 
states use all of these

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funds for adult prisons only. So this measure requires states to set 
aside 10 percent of federal prison funding to juvenile prisons or 
alternative placements of delinquent children. This commitment is 
consistent with dedicated funding for juvenile facilities in the 
Senate-passed 1994 crime bill, which set the stage for spending 
billions of dollars on prisons through the 1994 Crime Act.
  This proposal also helps rural communities keep dangerous kids behind 
bars. Now, although the closest juvenile facility may be hundreds of 
miles away, federal law prohibits rural police from locking up violent 
juveniles in adult jails for more than 24 hours. This means that state 
law enforcement officials either have to waste the time and resources 
to criss-cross the state even for initial court appearances, or simply 
let dangerous teens go free. In my view, that's a no-win situation. 
This measure gives rural police the flexibility they need by letting 
them detain juveniles in adult jails for up to 72 hours, provided they 
are separated from adult criminals.
  Moreover, this measure will help lock up gun-toting kids--and the 
people who illegally supply them with weapons. It builds on my 1994 
Youth Handgun Safety Act by turning illegal possession of a handgun by 
a minor into a felony. And the same goes for anyone who illegally sells 
handguns to kids. Kids and handguns don't mix, and our Federal law 
needs to make clear that this is a serious crime.

  And this measure makes it easier to identify the violent juveniles 
who need to be dealt with more severely--by strongly encouraging states 
to share the records of violent juvenile offenders and providing the 
funding necessary for improved record-keeping. The fact is that law 
enforcement officials need full disclosure in order to make informed 
judgments about who should be incarcerated, but current law allows too 
many records to be concealed or to vanish without a trace when a teen 
felon turns 18.
  Second, this proposal will help keep firearms out of the hands of 
young people. It promotes gun safety by requiring the sale of child 
safety locks with every new handgun. Child safety locks can help save 
many of the 500 children and teenagers killed each year in firearms 
accidents, and the 1,500 kids each year who use guns to commit suicide. 
Just as importantly, they can help prevent some of the 7,000 violent 
juvenile crimes committed every year with guns children took from their 
own homes.
  It also helps identify who is supplying kids with guns, so we can put 
them out of business and behind bars. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco 
and Firearms has been working closely with cities like Milwaukee and 
Boston to trace guns used by young people back to the source. Using 
ATF's national database, police and prosecutors can target illegal 
suppliers of firearms and help stop the flow of firearms into our 
communities. This measure will expand the program to other cities and, 
with the increased penalties outlined above, help cut down illegal gun 
trafficking.
  In addition, it closes an inexcusable loophole that allows violent 
young offenders to buy guns legally when they turn 18. Under current 
law, violent adult offenders can't buy firearms, but violent juveniles 
can--even the kids convicted of the schoolyard killings in Jonesboro, 
Arkansas--at least once they are released at age 18. This has to stop. 
So this measure declares that all violent felons are disqualified from 
buying firearms, regardless of whether they were 10, 12, 14 or just a 
day short of their 18th birthday at the time of their offense.
  And not only will this proposal prohibit all violent criminals from 
owning firearms, no matter what their age, it also encourages 
aggressive enforcement of this federal law by dedicating federal 
prosecutors and investigators to this task. This builds on a successful 
program, supported by the NRA, that has helped reduce gun violence in 
Richmond through increased federal prosecution, public outreach and 
fewer plea bargains.
  Third, a balanced approach also requires a significant investment in 
crime prevention, so we can stop crime before it's too late. In fact, 
no one is more adamant in support of this approach than our nation's 
law enforcement officials. For example, last year more than 400 police 
chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors nationwide endorsed a call for after-
school programs for all children. And in my home state of Wisconsin, 90 
percent of police chiefs and sheriffs I surveyed agreed that we need to 
increase federal prevention spending.
  This proposal promotes prevention by concentrating funding in 
programs that already have a record of success, like Weed & Seed, and 
those that rely on proven strategies, like the ones that give children 
a safe place to go in the after-school hours between 3 and 8 p.m., when 
juvenile crime peaks.
  For example, it expands the Weed & Seed program, a Republican program 
which combines aggressive enforcement and safe havens for at-risk kids. 
The measure also gives more schools the resources necessary to stay 
open after school, through expansion of the 21st Century Learning 
Center program. It promotes innovative prevention initiatives by 
reauthorizing and expanding the Title V At-Risk Children Challenge 
Grant program, which I authored, which encourages investment, 
collaboration, and long-range prevention planning by local communities, 
who must establish locally tailored prevention programs and contribute 
at least 50 cents for every federal dollar. It builds on our support 
for the valuable work of Boys & Girls Clubs, by continuing to dedicate 
funding to the Clubs and expanding funding to other successful 
organizations like the YMCA. And it requires that at least 20 percent 
of the new juvenile crime funds--namely the recently-appropriated $500 
million juvenile accountability block grant--be dedicated to 
prevention.

  Of course, we shouldn't blindly invest in prevention programs, just 
because they sound good. Quality, not quantity, matters. And it would 
be foolish to throw good money after bad. That's why my measure cuts 
nearly $1 billion in prevention programs authorized by the Crime Act--
so we don't waste money on redundant programs which don't have records 
of success or bipartisan support. And that's why my measure requires 5 
to 10 percent of all prevention funds to be set aside for rigorous 
evaluations--so we can keep funding the programs that work, and 
eliminate the programs that don't. We also reward cities that adopt 
comprehensive anti-juvenile crime strategies, like Milwaukee's and 
Boston's--so prevention is part of a balanced, coordinated overall 
plan.
  Mr. President, the question about how to reduce juvenile crime is no 
longer a mystery. We have a good idea about what works. The real 
question is this: Will we act to make our communities safer and sounder 
places to live and to prevent teen crime before it happens? I have 
faith that we will, and I believe this measure moves us forward. I ask 
unanimous consent that a summary of this proposal be printed for the 
Record. There being no objection, the summary was ordered printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Summary of the 21st Century Safe and Sound Communities Act

       Title I: Increased Placement of Juveniles in Appropriate 
     Correctional Facilities
       States must dedicate 10 percent of all prison funding from 
     the 1994 Crime Act to juvenile facilities or alternative 
     placements for delinquent juveniles. Expands ability to 
     detain juveniles temporarily in rural adult jails by 
     permitting detention for up to 72 hours and ending 
     requirement of separate staff to oversee juveniles and 
     adults.
       Title II: Reducing Youth Access to Firearms
       Limits access of juveniles and juvenile offenders to 
     firearms. Requires the sale of child safety locks with all 
     handguns. Expands Department of the Treasury's youth crime 
     gun tracing program to identify more illegal gun traffickers 
     who are supplying guns to children. Increases jail time for 
     individuals who transfer handguns to juveniles and for 
     juveniles who illegally possess handguns. Prohibits the sale 
     of firearms to violent juvenile offenders after they become 
     18 years old. Increases enforcement of federal laws to 
     prohibit illegal possession of firearms by violent criminals, 
     including violent juvenile offenders.
       Title III: Consolidation of Prevention Programs
       Repeals nearly $1 billion in authorized prevention programs 
     from the 1994 Crime Act. Expands Weed & Seed to $200 million 
     per year (from $33.5 million in 1999), the Title V At-Risk 
     Children Challenge Grants to $200 million per year (from $55 
     million), and the 21st Century Learning Centers to $600 
     million per year (from $200 million), and extends Boys 
     & Girls Club funding for five more

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     years, increasing funding to $100 million per year (from 
     $40 million) and expanding the program to support other 
     successful community organizations like the YMCA. 
     Consolidates several gang prevention programs into one $25 
     million program. Rewards cities that adopt a comprehensive 
     anti-juvenile crime strategy based on the Boston model. 
     Sets aside 5 to 10 percent of prevention funding for 
     evaluation, implementing the proposal of the DOJ-sponsored 
     University of Maryland report.
       Title IV: Juvenile Crime Control and Accountability Block 
     Grant
       Promotes funding for prosecutors, improved-record keeping, 
     juvenile prisons, and prevention through $500 million block 
     grant. Qualifying states must trace all firearms recovered 
     from individuals under age 21 to identify illegal firearm 
     traffickers, and must share criminal records of all juvenile 
     violent offenders with other jurisdictions. $100 million of 
     this grant program must be dedicated to both prevention and 
     to hiring more prosecutors.
       Title V: Extension of COPS and Juvenile Justice programs
       Extends program to hire new community police officers. 
     Reauthorizes Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
     Prevention.
       Title VI: Extension of Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund
       Extends trust fund established by 1994 Crime Act to pay for 
     anti-crime programs with savings from reduction of federal 
     workforce.
                                 ______