[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 8 (Wednesday, February 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




MOTION TO GO TO CONFERENCE ON H.R. 2215, THE 21ST CENTURY DEPARTMENT OF 
                JUSTICE APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT

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                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2002

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I commend Chairman Sensenbrenner for 
defending this committee's jurisdiction and for his bipartisanship. 
Congress has not authorized the Department of Justice in more than 20 
years, instead leaving the responsibility to the appropriators to 
decide what DOJ programs should be authorized and their maximum funding 
level; this conference will express the views of the authorizing 
committees about how they should operate.
  For example, both the House and Senate bills recognize the importance 
of helping victims of violence and preserving congressional oversight 
of prosecutorial activities. They give the Violence Against Women 
Office more autonomy so that it may better serve female victims of 
violence. They also require the Department to report to Congress when 
they wiretap computers, agree to settlements, and make certain 
decisions about enforcing Federal statutes. These reports will make it 
easier for Congress to see how the laws we enact are being interpreted 
and how they should be changed, it at all.
  In the end, I hope this conference is a precursor to more active 
congressional involvement in the running of the Justice Department.

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