From firearms-alert-owner Wed Aug 10 13:11:34 1994 Return-Path: firearms-alert-owner Received: from localhost (chan@localhost) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.4/8.6.4) id NAA16093 for firearms-alert-outgoing; Wed, 10 Aug 1994 13:10:53 -0700 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.4/8.6.4) with ESMTP id NAA16087 for ; Wed, 10 Aug 1994 13:10:51 -0700 Received: from gatekeeper.esl.com (gatekeeper.esl.com [129.193.146.11]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.7/8.6.4) with SMTP id NAA07536 for ; Wed, 10 Aug 1994 13:10:49 -0700 Received: from smtp.esl.com (smtpout.esl.com) by gatekeeper.esl.com (4.1/SMI-4.1) id AA22358; Wed, 10 Aug 94 13:10:16 PDT Message-Id: Date: 10 Aug 1994 13:07:21 -0700 From: "Johann Opitz" Subject: STEVENS BLASTS CRIME BILL To: "Firearms Alert" X-Mailer: Mail*Link SMTP/QM 3.0.0GM Sender: firearms-alert-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Status: RO Passed to me by a co-worker. Some other good points on why the crime bill is bad are made; more to add to your phone calls and faxes. -Johann ================================================================= 8/3/94 STEVENS BLASTS CRIME BILL Senator Ted Stevens today announced that he will work against passage of the $30.2 billion crime bill conference report saying that the legislation is laden with wasteful spending and is not tough enough to fight violent crime. "I am very disappointed with what the House conferees have done to this bill,' Senator Stevens said. "What began as a crime bill now looks like last year's ill-fated economic stimulus package. This legislation squanders scarce financial resources on redundant new programs while short-changing law enforcement efforts." Stevens noted the bill has $13 billion in deficit spending in fiscal years 1999 and 2000. The General Accounting Office recently reported that there are already seven federal departments sponsoring 266 prevention programs which currently serve delinquent and at-risk youth, Stevens said. The 1992 report states that there exists "A massive federal effort on behalf of troubled youth" which spends more than $3 billion a year. "Despite GAO's findings, the conference report creates new programs, throws more money at existing programs and provides too little money for law enforcement and prisons," Stevens said. Stevens noted that Alaska was better treated under the Senate-passed crime bill than the measure adopted by a House/Senate conference committee. "The conference report cuts the increase in rural law enforcement funding by 75 percent but contains $125 million in taxpayer funds to provide drug treatment on demand to all federal prisoners. "It comes down to a question of priorities. Youth employment programs are important but this bill provides $900 million for job training grants when the federal government is already spending $25 billion annually on 154 job training programs. The reality is that most of these funds will go to the large inner-cities. These funds will replace the huge amount of taxpayer dollars the Administration tried to stuff into urban communities with the 'economic stimulus package.'" Stevens also highlighted several tough crime measures that were stripped from the bill in conference: o The bill removes mandatory minimum sentences for the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime, a measure sponsored by Senator Stevens and Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY). o The measure rejects mandatory minimum sentences for selling drugs to minors or employing minors in a drug crime. o The bill also removes an amendment that victims of violent crime receive restitution from the perpetrators. o An amendment was rejected that would have allowed evidence of prior offenses of rape and child abuse to be cited in prosecutions involving current offenses. o The conference report eliminated a measure that called for criminal aliens to be swiftly deported once their sentence is served. o The conferees refused to allow HIV testing of accused rapists. o The bill provides $200 million for the federal court system, less than half of the Senate bill's additional $500 million. o As compared to the Senate-passed bill, the conference report decreases by $3 billion money for law enforcement. Stevens noted that the crime bill retained some laudable provisions, but that it falls far short of its goal. "I support the three strikes and you're out provision, tougher death penalty provisions, and more funds to stem violence against women. This bill drowns those good provisions in a sea of wasteful spending and places unnecessary controls on the rights of law-abiding gun owners," Stevens said. The Alaska Republican noted that the gun ban in the crime bill was also a major factor in his decision to fight against passage of the legislation. "The removal of the minimum sentences for crimes with a gun and the retention of the gun ban proves that the real goal of the proponents of this bill is to control guns, not crime. We need to punish the person who illegally uses a gun, not innocent hunters and other gun owners." ================================================================= == Johann Opitz e-mail: johann_opitz@smtp.esl.com == == All Disclaimers Apply (so as to protect my employer) ==