Jon Kyl: “I conclude my statement by saying it has been a great pleasure for me to work on a bipartisan basis with Senator Dianne…”

“I conclude my statement by saying it has been a great pleasure for me to work on a bipartisan basis with Senator Dianne Feinstein who, as have I, has spent the better part of 4 years honing and crafting this amendment, working with victims' rights groups, visiting with fellow Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, representatives of the White House, the Department of Justice, and many others in an effort to ensure that the amendment we present to the Senate today is the very best possible product we could present. We are always open to more suggestions. We have never closed the door to additional suggestions by people who in good faith wish to make sure this amendment will do what we want it to do, without, of course, taking away the rights of defendants. We remain committed to that proposition. At the end of the day, as all of the statements I have read suggest, there is no alternative. There is only one way to protect the victims of violent crime; that is, through adoption of a Federal constitutional amendment.”