Thursday, February 17, 2005 Contact: Sean Oblack (202) 225-4176 Schiff/Bono Introduce Gang Bill WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation today to reduce gang violence by increasing criminal penalties and targeting gangs who recruit children.  Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Charles Grassley (R-IA), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) introduced similar legislation in the Senate last month. The Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act of 2005 will: Authorize $762.5 million over the next five years to support Federal, State and local law enforcement efforts against violent gangs, including witness protection, intervention and prevention programs for at-risk youth, and enhanced support for federal prosecutors and FBI agents involved in coordinated enforcement efforts against violent gangs. Create new criminal gang prosecution offenses; enhance existing gang and violent crime penalties to deter and punish illegal street gangs, propose violent crime reforms needed to effectively prosecute gang members, and propose a limited reform of the juvenile justice system to facilitate federal prosecution of gang members who commit serious acts of violence. Los Angeles alone has 45,689 gang members, according to local law enforcement officials.  Nationally, the Department of Justice reports about 731,500 gang members in 21,500 gangs and the FBI report on national crime statistics found that youth-gang homicides jumped to more than 1,100 in 2002, almost doubling the 1999 number. In the 108th Congress the legislation was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee but was never brought to the Senate floor for action. “As a federal prosecutor I saw first hand the damage gangs cause in our community,” said Schiff. “This bill increases federal support for our local law enforcement officers and increases penalties for the hardened criminals who terrorize our neighborhoods.”  “This bill is critically important to help support the efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in gang prosecution and prevention efforts, and will help them do these important jobs more effectively.  I commend Congressman Adam B. Schiff for his hard work on this important piece of legislation and look forward to working with him to move this bill forward,” said Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA). "I am pleased that Rep. Schiff and Rep. Bono have introduced a companion to the Gang Prevention & Effective Deterrence Act of 2005.  Street gangs continue to grow, crossing city and state borders, terrorizing neighborhoods, crippling families and killing innocent people.  Their growth in size and complexity requires a Federal response that can draw on the resources of Federal law enforcement, while at the same time preserving the traditional role of state and local police and prosecutors,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein.  Congressman Schiff was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles for six years. He is a member of both the House Judiciary and International Relations committees.  He represents California’s 29th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City. -30-