Orrin Hatch: “in my opinion, it is time for President Clinton to call on the Congress to pass certain key provisions that are…”

“in my opinion, it is time for President Clinton to call on the Congress to pass certain key provisions that are currently a part of the Senate crime bill and that he has not yet addressed. We cannot afford to have this crime bill follow the pattern of last Congress' crime bill conference where, over the objection of several conferees, a majority of conferees adopted the softest, most liberal provisions passed by either body on a range of criminal issues. I am concerned that without President Clinton's strong, specific support and leadership on several worthy, tough-on-crime provisions, they will be jettisoned in conference or significantly weakened. One such provision is the Dole-Hatch-Brown gangs amendment. This amendment passed the Senate by an overwhelming vote of 60 to 38. The Senate was responding to the epidemic of gang violence which is gripping our Nation's urban and rural areas. Our Nation's heartland is witnessing an unprecedented growth in gang violence--a scourge known all too well to cities like Los Angeles and New York City. Once thought to only be a problem of our Nation's largest cities, gangs have invaded cities like Salt Lake City, UT.”