Senate Stalemate Over Crime Bill

Strategic Insights -

The fate of the anti-crime legislation hangs in the balance as the Senate reaches a stalemate over the crime bill, with Democrats calling for a vote and Republicans demanding more changes. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell says that agreeing to Republican demands would doom the legislation, while Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole has threatened to use a procedural point to block a vote on the bill unless Democrats allow more amendments.

Key Takeaways:

  • Democrats and Republicans have reached an impasse over the crime bill, with each side refusing to budge on their demands.
  • Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell has proposed a counteroffer to Senator Dole's proposal, suggesting that if Republicans agree to a simple majority vote on the crime bill, then he would agree to a vote on 13 Republican amendments as a separate bill at another time.
  • Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has stated that the issue is not the weapons ban, but rather pork spending, and that Republicans want to "kill the hog."
  • Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) has defended the bill's budget, saying that there is no pork spending, and that the increase in funding came from Republican demands for more money for prisons and police.
  • Senator John Warner (R-VA) has claimed that every member's office is being flooded with telephone calls from constituents demanding a strong crime bill with no pork spending.
  • Senator Biden has countered that the calls he is receiving from Delaware are overwhelmingly in favor of passing the crime bill, with many constituents calling for 100,000 more cops and the construction of more prisons.

Statistics:

  • The crime bill has a total budget of $30 billion, a $6 billion increase from the original $24 billion figure.
  • 13 Republican amendments to the bill have been proposed, which the Democrats are refusing to accept without a vote on the entire bill.
  • 51 votes are required for the minority to pass the bill without a budgetary point of order, but this is not enough to overcome the procedural point of order, which requires 60 votes.
  • Over 100,000 police officers are being proposed for hiring under the crime bill, with millions of dollars set aside for prisons, drug courts, and domestic violence programs.

Sources:

  • "Morning Edition" with Bob Edwards (NPR), July 1994
  • Elizabeth Arnold, NPR Correspondent
  • Senator George Mitchell (D-ME)
  • Senator Bob Dole (R-KS)
  • Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
  • Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE)
  • Senator John Warner (R-VA)