    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 25 (Monday, June 27, 1994)]
    [Page 1344]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    St. Louis

    June 24, 1994

    Crime Legislation

        Q. Speaking of the crime bill, Mr. President, do you know where it
    stands right now? Can you give us a state of play?
        The President. Well, I met earlier this week with Senator Biden and
    Chairman Brooks, and we talked about it. We think that the essential
    elements are intact. We believe that it will come out with 100,000
    police, with ``Three strikes and you're out,'' with prevention programs,
    with summer jobs for the kids and midnight basketball, the after-school
    programs, with the assault weapons ban. And they're still working on
    some of the other issues. I expect that the conference committee will
    come out with it reasonably soon, and I think it will go through both
    Houses.
        Q. One of the hangups, sir, is racial justice. Have you decided
    where you come down on that position yet?
        The President. Wait and see what the conference committee does. They
    asked me to give them a few more days to work on it, and we're going to
    see what they----
        Q. Would it help if you came out with----
        The President. ----know what's going on--the main thing we don't
    want to do is to change the subject. The subject is how to get the crime
    rate down, how to get the police out, how to get the assault weapons--
    the police on the street, the assault weapons ban into law, how to get
    the prevention funds out here, how to get the ``Three strikes and you're
    out'' law out. And I think that they're working on it. I believe
    everybody in the Congress is going to work on it in good faith, and I
    think we'll have a--[inaudible].

    Note: The exchange began at 12:50 p.m. while touring the Fox Park
    neighborhood. A tape was not available for verification of the content
    of this exchange.