Orrin Hatch: “I remain deeply concerned that the tough provisions of the Senate's crime bill will be weakened in conference between…”

“I remain deeply concerned that the tough provisions of the Senate's crime bill will be weakened in conference between the House and the Senate. This happened in the last Congress. I believe President Clinton should not be silent on all but a few of the elements of the crime bill. I believe the President should endorse the tough-on-crime provisions of the Senate Crime bill. One such provision is the Senate bill's proposal to extend the death penalty for drug kingpins to certain cases where death does not directly result for their activities. This measure passed the Senate by a strong vote of 74 to 25. The activities of drug kingpins pose perhaps the gravest risk that we face today to our health and well-being, both as individuals and as a nation. In my home State of Utah, the spread of drugs and its attendant violence is a growing problem. Death by violence and disease, destruction of minds and bodies, follow in the wake of these unseen crime barons. Mr. President, the time has come that we punish these evil purveyors of death and destruction as they deserve to be punished, and no longer let them hide behind the hired guns who pull the triggers for them. This was the position of the prior Republican administration. I might add that one of the reasons we have so many problems with guns in our society is because of drugs and because of these drug kingpins and because of their financing of violence in our society. It is time to just say, ``Enough is enough.”