[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 5, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H1768-H1769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION MUST ENFORCE THE LAWS ON ILLEGAL OBSCENITY 
                            AND PORNOGRAPHY

  (Mr. GARY MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

[[Page H1769]]

  Mr. GARY MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, we have a grave problem 
in our country today: illegal pornography and obscenity. It is rampant 
in our society. It is readily available to all our children on the 
Internet, and the health and safety of our children are at risk.
  Under the Reagan and Bush administrations, the Department of Justice 
successfully and aggressively prosecuted illegal pornographers. They 
rarely lost any of the hundreds of cases brought to court. In one 2-
year span, they successfully prosecuted over 200 obscenity cases.
  Since President Clinton took office, prosecution of illegal 
pornographers and obscenity has all but ceased. Prosecutions are down 
75 percent.
  In 1997, there were only 6 prosecutions of illegal pornographers by 
all 93 U.S. attorneys. In March 1998, the Adult Video News Magazine, 
the trade magazine for the porn industry, announced it is a great time 
to be an adult retailer.
  This lack of prosecution has sent a clear message to the makers of 
illegal pornography and illegal obscenity that it is okay to make and 
distribute such material. Under the Clinton administration they will 
not even be prosecuted for their crimes.
  It is time for the Clinton administration to get to work and enforce 
existing anti-obscenity laws.

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