Bud Cramer

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Reclaiming my time, I would assert this amendment would allow the States the flexibility to build all kinds of facilities. I will support later amendments to this bill that will allow other kinds of juvenile incarceration facilities to be built, but I think the block grant approach is the way to go.

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment and say we are making this issue unfortunately the way we do many issues, a lot tougher than it has to be. I want us to build prisons right now; I do not want to see the prisoners in my State eligible to be released who are today being released. They are being released because we do not have enough room for them. So, again, I think this amendment makes sense. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot say we are going to block grant this money which later we will say we are not going to block grant this money here today. Our States are dealing with a lot of tough offenders. I was happy that the committee chose to accept the youthful offender issue in terms of a boot camp, the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee], which will allow States to build the youthful offender incarceration programs that we need, because I think we have to form a more effective partnership with the States and allow the States to build these facilities. If we want to incarcerate these criminals and we want to do it now, vote for this amendment. This is a States rights amendment and it will allow the States to deal effectively today with those violent offenders that are out there that we want to put away.