Adam Schiff: “in February of this year, I introduced bipartisan legislation with the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono), the Gang…”

“in February of this year, I introduced bipartisan legislation with the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono), the Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act of 2005. The Schiff-Bono bill represents a comprehensive effort to increase gang prosecution and prevention efforts in order to crack down on criminal street gangs. The bill is virtually identical to bipartisan legislation that was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 108th Congress and has since been reintroduced by Senators Feinstein, Hatch, Kyl, Cornyn, and Grassley. Madam Chairman, the bipartisan Schiff-Bono anti-gang bill had three core objectives. First, it created a RICO-like statute specifically tailored to street gangs in order to bring these networks down in the same way we bring down organized crime through RICO. Second, our legislation increased a host of gang and violent crime penalties in order to deter and punish illegal street gangs. And finally the Schiff-Bono bill included important funding for prevention and intervention efforts in order to attack the gang problem at its roots. The sponsor of the bill before us today has spent much time on highlighting the groups that have supported his bill. The Schiff-Bono and Feinstein-Hatch bills are also endorsed by these groups and a host of other law enforcement organizations.…”