Bart Stupak: “Mr. Chairman, the Stupak-Stenholm-Lofgren-Scott substitute takes the approach that juvenile crime can best be battled at…”

“Mr. Chairman, the Stupak-Stenholm-Lofgren-Scott substitute takes the approach that juvenile crime can best be battled at the local level. In our bill we set aside the same $1.5 billion over 3 years for local initiatives. Our Crime Task Force went to the communities around this Nation and they asked us, give us the flexibility and give us local control. We need help from the Federal Government. We do not need mandates. Unfortunately, the majority legislation here, the majority bill, puts down four mandates that each State must follow. In those mandates, if we do not follow those mandates, our State is denied any access to the $1.5 billion. In the most recent list that has been compiled, in reviewing the majority's bill, only six States may be eligible. Forty-four other States would be denied access to any funds in fighting juvenile crime. Mr. Chairman, the Democratic substitute is a balanced approach to the problem of juvenile crime. It is an approach that includes enforcement, intervention, prevention, and we reform the juvenile justice system to target violent kids, and they would be locked up underneath our bill. We allow the local community approach and not the federalism approach.”