[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 115 (Thursday, September 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  REQUIRING A REPORT ON THE OPERATIONS OF THE STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE

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                               SPEECH OF

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2001

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I support passage of this bill and would 
like to commend Chairman Coble and Ranking Member Berman for bringing 
it to the full House. The State Justice Institute was established as a 
non-profit corporation in 1984 to award grants to improve the quality 
of justice in State courts and develop new and efficient solutions to 
problems faced by all courts.
  Unfortunately, Congress has not conducted oversight over the 
Institute in approximately 15 years, so we have no information about 
how it is functioning. This bill solves that problem by requiring the 
Attorney General to submit a report to Congress on how the Institute is 
functioning and how successful its grants have been in improving the 
quality of judicial education. Once that report is received, Congress 
can better oversee the Institute and determine what resources it needs.

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