Youth Development/Afterschool/Violence-Juvenile Crime Legislation [3]
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OCR Page 1 of 75Cops Line Up for
Times, welkofjunezq, 1998]
Crime Bill
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
CLINTON LIBRARY PHOTOCOPY
leader that it is going anywhere.
"Senator Lott has put the bill on his pri-
ority list," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.),
BY T.R. GOLDMAN
the bill's co-sponsor, said at the press
conference last week. But he candidly
It is the centerpiece crime bill of the
added, "He's put a lot of things on his
105th Congress. But for more than a year,
priority list, and not all of them are
the juvenile crime bill has languished in
going to get to the floor."
legislative limbo, passed by the House of
Lott's office did not return four
Representatives but unsupported by any
phone calls seeking comment.
major interest group and unable to make it
To get the support of the FOP, Hatch
to the Senate floor.
agreed to a series of changes altering
Last week, however, in a move that could
certain portions of the 108-page bill. To
edge the bill closer to a full Senate vote, the
deal with concerns that federal agencies
influential Fraternal Order of Police came
were encroaching too much on local
out in support of S. 10, which blends federal
law enforcement's turf, language was
mandates on how states must punish juve-
changed so that in cases of concurrent
nile offenders with fresh infusions of cash
federal and state jurisdiction over juve-
for state juvenile justice programs.
nile crime, there is a presumption in
At a hastily arranged press conference
favor of the state.
on June 23, members of the FOP's Wash-
States were given more flexibility in
ington lodge stood at attention while Senate
how they use federal block-grant
Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin
money to combat juvenile crime. The
Hatch (R-Utah) darkly warned that "we can
feds eased cumbersome record-keeping
RUSS CURTIS
no longer sit silently by as children kill
requirements imposed by the original
children, as teenagers commit truly heinous
draft of the bills. And lawmakers have
Mark Soler of the Youth Law Center says that
offenses, as our juvenile drug abuse rate
tightened somewhat enforcement of
the changes in the bill don't mitigate its flaws.
continues to climb."
the traditional prohibition against
Having the FOP aboard helps. The
housing juveniles in adult jails-a prohibi-
between two influential constituencies: the
group represents some 275,000 indi-
tion that had been severely undermined by
powerful National Rifle Association and
vidual police officers from state, local,
both the House and Senate bills. In addi-
suburban Republican stay-at-home moms,
and federal law enforcement agen-
tion, children as young as 10 years old can
who are seen as favoring more stringent
cies-nearly half the nation's police
now be tried as adults for crimes that would
controls on guns.
officers. And when it comes to crime
be federal capital crimes if committed by
For example, during the Senate commit-
politics, the FOP has traditionally been
an adult.
tee vote, Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-Wis.)
an opinion leader, a group whose seal
The changes, says Brown, the outside
offered an amendment to require guns to
of approval can help spur support from
counsel for the FOP, have made a formerly
have child safety locks, a relatively inex-
other law enforcement groups and
unpalatable bill more appealing, helping to
pensive device, overwhelmingly supported
their champions on Capitol Hill.
protect cops by treating violent juveniles as
in public opinion polls, that proponents say
"With FOP on board, that may be
adults, and giving the police more tools to
would make it far more difficult for chil-
enough to start an avalanche," says
do their job through block grants and easier
dren to accidentally shoot themselves if
Stephen Brown, a partner at the D.C.
access to juvenile records. "It's a quantum
they inadvertently found their parents' gun.
office of Columbus, Ohio's Vorys,
leap forward on both counts," he says.
But the measure failed on a party line vote.
Sater, Seymour & Pease and the FOP's
But Mark Soler, the president of the
Kohl has said he will certainly offer the
chief outside counsel.
Youth Law Center, a public interest law
trigger-lock amendment again, if the bill
And the bill may win further
firm, feels strongly that the bill's flaws still
ever gets to the Senate floor.
momentum from outrage generated by
far outweigh any improvements.
"They're scared to death of gun amend-
the recent slew of schoolyard slayings
"These changes don't mitigate the big-
ments," notes one lobbyist closely follow-
committed by juveniles.
ger changes in S. 10," says Soler. "For 24
ing the bill's progress. "For starters, how
FILE PHOTO
But, as FOP leaders and others
years, it has been the law in this country
much money does this issue raise for the
familiar with the bill note, the pro-
that kids are to be completely separated
Republicans? Not much. And for Bond,
posed legislation may face obstacles
from adult inmates, and for the past 18
Faircloth, and Coverdell, you're going to
even the FOP's influence cannot surmount:
years, it's the law that kids can't be held
have problems in those states if that's going
an unwillingness on the part of Senate
with adults. This reverses 24 years of
to drive the soccer moms off the reserva-
Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) to
federal policy."
tion," the lobbyist notes, referring to GOP
move the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
Of course, even if Lott decided to let the
Sens. Christopher Bond (Missouri), Lauch
The juvenile crime bill soared through
bill go to the floor for a vote, the year's
Faircloth (N.C.) and Paul Coverdell (Ga.),
the House of Representatives in May 1997.
crowded legislative calendar would make it
all of whom are running for re-election.
And a similar bill passed out of Hatch's
virtually impossible to take up the juvenile
The lobbyist adds: "Soccer moms versus
Judiciary Committee by a 12-6 vote just
crime bill unless both parties agreed by
the NRA. If you're [Lott chief of staff]
two months later, in July.
unanimous consent to limit the number of
Dave Hoppe, you don't need this."
But despite promises by Lott to bring the
time-consuming amendments that could be
bill to the Senate floor this spring, there is
offered on the Senate floor.
so far little indication by the majority
And Democrats are already licking their
lips in anticipation of offering a slew of
controversial gun amendments to the bill,
amendments that would put GOP senators
in the no-win position of having to choose
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