[House Report 107-167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



107th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    107-167

======================================================================







 
REQUESTING THAT THE PRESIDENT FOCUS APPROPRIATE ATTENTION ON THE ISSUES 
OF NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME PREVENTION, COMMUNITY POLICING, AND REDUCTION OF 
                              SCHOOL CRIME

                                _______
                                

   July 26, 2001.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Sensenbrenner, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                       [To accompany H. Res. 193]

    The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the 
resolution (H. Res. 193) requesting that the President focus 
appropriate attention on the issues of neighborhood crime 
prevention, community policing, and reduction of school crime 
by delivering speeches, convening meetings, and directing his 
Administration to make reducing crime an important priority, 
and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the 
resolution be agreed to.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................     1
Background and Need for the Legislation..........................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Committee Consideration..........................................     2
Vote of the Committee............................................     2
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     2
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     3
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................     3
Constitutional Authority Statement...............................     3
Section-by-Section Analysis and Discussion.......................     3
Markup Transcript................................................     4

                          Purpose and Summary

    H. Res. 193 expresses the sense of the House of 
Representatives that the President focus attention on the 
issues of neighborhood crime prevention, community policing, 
and reduction of school crime by delivering speeches, convening 
meetings, and directing his Administration to make reducing 
crime and important priority, specifically by issuing a 
proclamation calling on the people of the United States to 
conduct appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to 
demonstrate support for ``National Night Out''. Furthermore, H. 
Res. 193 demonstrates that Congress supports the goals and 
ideas of ``National Night Out''.

                Background and Need for the Legislation

    H. Res. 193 supports National Night Out, a nationally 
coordinated community event which attempts to combat crime 
elements through education, planning, and outreach. National 
Night Out began in 1984, with 400 communities and 2.5 million 
people involved. This figure expanded yearly, reaching over 
9,500 communities and 32 million people in 1999.
    National Night Out provides information, educational 
materials, and technical assistance for the development of 
year-long community-police partnerships that can reduce crime, 
violence, and substance abuse at the community level. 
Coordinated by local law enforcement and trained volunteers, 
National Night Out events are designed to engage neighborhoods 
in local crime and drug-abuse prevention activities through a 
multitude of local events, such as block parties, cookouts, 
parades, contests, youth events, and seminars. In addition, as 
part of National Night Out, individuals participate in Project 
365, a program that includes the cleanup of local parks, the 
removal and prevention of graffiti, the establishment of 
domestic violence and homeless prevention initiatives, and an 
increase in the number of Neighborhood Watch groups and crime 
prevention programming in multifamily housing areas. Through 
these activities, National Night Out generates community 
support for crime and drug-abuse prevention activities, as well 
as a high level of community participation. This opportunity 
helps to establish a much needed relationship among 
neighborhood residents and local law enforcement personnel.

                                Hearings

    No hearings were held on H. Res. 193.

                        Committee Consideration

    On July 24, 2001, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered favorably reported the resolution H. Res. 193 without 
amendment by voice vote, a quorum being present.

                         Vote of the Committee

    No recorded votes were held on H. Res. 193.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee reports that the 
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on 
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

                    Performance Goals and Objectives

     H. Res. 193 does not authorize funding. Therefore, clause 
3(c) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is inapplicable.

               New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

    Clause 3(c)(2) of House rule XIII is inapplicable because 
this legislation does not provide new budgetary authority or 
increased tax expenditures.

                        Committee Cost Estimate

    In compliance with clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee believes that 
the resolution will have no cost for the current fiscal year.

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds the authority for 
this resolution in article I, section 8, clause 18 of the 
Constitution.

               Section-by-Section Analysis and Discussion

    The first preambular clause provides that neighborhood 
crime is of continuing concern to the American people.
    The second preambular clause provides that the fight 
against neighborhood crime requires people to work together in 
cooperation with law enforcement officials.
    The third preambular clause provides that neighborhood 
crime watch organizations are effective at promoting awareness 
about, and the participation of volunteers in, crime prevention 
activities at the local level.
    The fourth preambular clause provides that crime watch 
groups can contribute to the Nation's war on drugs by helping 
to prevent their communities from becoming markets for drug 
dealers.
    The fifth preambular clause provides that crime and 
violence in schools is of continuing concern to the American 
people due to the recent high-profile incidents that have 
resulted in fatalities at several schools across the United 
States.
    The sixth preambular clause provides that community-based 
programs involving law enforcement, school administrators, 
teachers, parents, and local communities work effectively to 
reduce school violence and crime.
    The seventh preambular clause provides that citizens across 
the United States will soon take part in ``National Night 
Out,'' a unique crime prevention event which will demonstrate 
the importance and effectiveness of community participation in 
crime prevention efforts by having people spend the period from 
7 to 10 p.m. on August 7, 2001, with their neighbors in front 
of their homes with the lights on.
    The eighth preambular clause provides that schools that 
turn their lights on from 7 to 10 p.m. on August 7, 2001, will 
send a positive message to the participants of ``National Night 
Out'' and show their commitment to reduce crime and violence in 
schools.
    The resolved clause provides that it is the sense of the 
House of Representatives that the House of Representatives
        (1)
            supports the goals and ideas of ``National Night 
        Out''; and
        (2)
            requests that the President-
            (A)
                Lissue a proclamation calling on the people of 
        the United States to conduct appropriate ceremonies, 
        activities, and programs to demonstrate support for 
        ``National Night Out'' and
            (B)
                Lfocus appropriate attention on the issues of 
        neighborhood crime prevention, community policing, and 
        reduction of school crime by delivering speeches, 
        convening meetings, and directing his Administration to 
        make reducing crime an important priority.

                           Markup Transcript



                            BUSINESS MEETING

                         TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2001

                  House of Representatives,
                                Committee on the Judiciary,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:03 a.m., in 
Room 2138, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. F. James 
Sensenbrenner, Jr. (Chairman of the Committee) presiding.
    Chairman Sensenbrenner. The Committee will be in order. A 
working quorum is present.
    The Chair now moves to strike the last word.
    Last week, Mr. Stupak of Michigan and Mr. Weldon of 
Pennsylvania introduced a resolution requesting the President 
focus appropriate attention on the issues of neighborhood crime 
prevention and support the National Night Out effort. In the 
past, the Committee has simply discharged itself, and then it 
has come up in the House.
    As the Members of the Committee know, I've been pretty 
insistent that the regular order be followed, and I am going to 
ask unanimous consent that this resolution be brought up, 
notwithstanding the fact that it is not on our notice, so that 
it can be put on the suspension calendar with a Committee 
report next year.
    So I now ask unanimous consent that, notwithstanding the 
fact that H. Res. 193 is not on the meeting notice today, the 
Committee proceed to consider H. Res. 193.
    Mr. Scott. Mr. Chairman, reserving the right to object.
    Chairman Sensenbrenner. The gentleman reserves the right to 
object.
    Mr. Scott. Mr. Chairman, reserving the right to object, but 
I will not object. I just want to commend the Chairman for 
insisting on regular order. A lot of these things hit the floor 
without any consideration at all, and I just want to express, 
as the Ranking Member of the Crime Subcommittee, the fact that 
you are going through regular order.
    Chairman Sensenbrenner. If the gentleman will yield, had I 
known about this request before the notice went out yesterday 
morning, it would have been included. But I didn't, and since 
the National Night Out will be past us after the August recess, 
I wanted to move this.
    A reservation belongs to the gentleman from Virginia.
    Mr. Nadler. Reserving my right to object, I also want to 
commend you for insisting on regular order. But I would simply 
request that this be put off until after at least one bill so 
we have a chance to read it.
    Chairman Sensenbrenner. Okay. Without objection, the bill 
is placed on the calendar, and it will be called up after the 
cloning bill.
    Mr. Nadler. Thank you.
    Chairman Sensenbrenner. Is there objection? Hearing none, 
so ordered.
    [Intervening Business.]
    The chair would like to make an announcement relative to 
the remainder of the day and seek the consent and cooperation 
of the Members.
    The remaining five measures on the calendar are relatively 
noncontroversial, and I believe we will be able to deal with 
them in 15 to 20 minutes time if everybody will restrain their 
impulses to speak and put statements in the record. That way we 
will not have to come back this afternoon.
    As I've said previously, the bill relating to the 
Vietnamese has been pulled from the calendar because it needs 
more work.
    So, pursuant to the order of the Committee earlier today, I 
now call up the resolution H. Res. 193, requesting that the 
President focus appropriate attention on the issues of 
neighborhood crime prevention, et al, for purposes of markup.
    [The resolution, H. Res. 193, follows:]

    
    
    Chairman Sensenbrenner. Without objection, a reporting 
quorum being present, the resolution is favorably reported to 
the House. Hearing none, so ordered.
    Without objection, the staff will be ordered to make 
technical and conforming changes. All Members will be given 2 
days in which to submit views. And this is not a concurrent 
resolution, so going to conference is not relevant.

                                
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