Timothy Roemer: “I think the big differences between H.R. 3 and our Democratic substitute are that, for one, H.R. 3 says that Washington…”

“I think the big differences between H.R. 3 and our Democratic substitute are that, for one, H.R. 3 says that Washington knows best. We are going to tell the States how to run their programs and if they do not do it our way they do not get any money. Our bill says we rely on local prosecutors and police and parents to submit the grants and then they get the grants to their local community from Washington, DC. The second big difference: Under H.R. 3, 12 States are eligible for all these moneys, $1.5 billion. Under our bill, every single State can qualify. The third big difference, Mr. Chairman, is that our bill builds prisons and it builds hope, because it invests in making sure that our children have alternatives to prison. Sure, we expand. We are tough on crime. We target juvenile offenders, seven new ways we put them in jail when they commit the crime, but we also say to the hundreds of thousands of good kids, we want to give you a place to go after school that is safe, where you can play at a computer to get prepared for school the next day, and we do not assume that you are a criminal tomorrow.”