[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE NATIONAL YOUTH VIOLENCE COMMISSION

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                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 9, 1999

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, weeks after the tragedy at Columbine High 
School, we as a national community are still cognizant of the ordeal 
and attempting to make sense of this horrific incident and the other 
school massacres that followed it. Many of us are still asking 
questions and searching for reasons why our children are senselessly 
murdering each other in classrooms, schoolyards, streetcorners and 
their homes; why there is so much violence surrounding and savaging the 
youth of our country.
  There have been several factors cited as the possible causes for this 
emphasis on violence: the disconnection so many youths feel from their 
parents, peers, schools and communities; the harmful influence of the 
entertainment media; the easy access children have to guns; lack of 
support services for alienated and mentally ill teens; and the 
weakening of our moral and communal safety nets.
  While there are many informed opinions and hypotheses, there are very 
few definitive conclusions and little consensus as to who or what is 
responsible for this atrocity. This is a problem that can not be solved 
with definitive answers--there is no one answer. As a country Americans 
do agree that we must come together as a nation to stop this menace, 
which is putting all of our communities and way of life at risk.
  In order to combat this difficult challenge, we must reach a national 
consensus on how to respond. We must carefully, deliberately, 
dispassionately analyze the depths of the problem. Today, Mr. Burton, 
Mr. Tierney and I are introducing legislation to create a national 
commission on youth violence that will examine the many possible 
reasons why so many children are becoming killers and help us find 
solutions to diminish this imminent threat.
  In order to thoroughly study the many dimensions of the problem this 
panel should be composed of the country's finest experts in the fields 
of law enforcement, teaching and counseling, parenting and family 
studies, child and adolescent psychology, Cabinet members, and 
religious leaders.
  After 18 months of work, the commission would be responsible to 
report its conclusions to the President and Congress and recommend a 
series of tangible steps to take in order to reduce the level of youth 
violence and prevent another community from feeling the same pain and 
grief as the residents of Littleton.
  There are several steps that must be taken by Congress and the 
citizens of our country in order to preserve the safety of our 
children. We understand that this problem is not one that can be solved 
over night, or with any single piece of legislation. Despite this we 
have legitimate policy and philosophical differences to overcome in 
order to tackle this problem. There is not a guarantee that with this 
commission that we will find these answers and solve our problems, but 
we believe there is hope for doing so and therefore deserves our 
support.

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