As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee
on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security, I have sponsored
several bills designed to prevent criminals from evading the law
by using new technology to prey upon society. For example, legislation
I introduced to combat identity theft
– a bill that is now law – helps those whose identity
and money have been stolen to recover what is theirs. Similarly,
the Telemarketing
Fraud Prevention Act – another bill I authored that
became law – imposes stiff penalties on those who perpetrate
telemarketing scams, especially scams that target senior citizens.
I sponsored legislation to prohibit gambling on
the Internet. Millions of dollars are being gambled online on
sporting events and on virtual casino games. Such gambling is
accessible to children, highly addictive, and prohibited by most
states – but difficult for states themselves to stop. The
states’ top law enforcement officials, the Attorneys General,
asked Congress to update federal law to help prevent this new
form of an old vice. The National Gambling Impact Study Commission
agreed, recommending a ban on Internet gambling. The bill nearly
passed a number of times but was stopped by gambling interests.
It has a good chance of passage this year.
Several initiatives I sponsored were signed into
law as part of the USA Patriot Act. One of them provides enhanced
jurisdiction to law enforcement to improve the tracking of criminally
suspect telephone and Internet communications. The law now covers
new communications technology and establishes that an order signed
by a federal judge has force throughout the nation.
Recognizing that Arizona's federal judiciary has
the fourth heaviest court caseload in the nation – due in
large part to our growing population – I supported bills
to create a number of new federal judgeships. Those bills were
enacted into law and, as a result, five new judgeships were assigned
to Arizona. Congress also approved my bill to name the federal
courthouse in Phoenix in honor of Sandra Day O'Connor, a distinguished
Arizonan and the first woman Justice of the United States Supreme
Court.
Congress approved a measure I sponsored to reduce
the number of frivolous inmate lawsuits. These suits – for
example, legal actions filed by inmates who did not receive their
favorite type of ice cream, sneakers, peanut butter, or video
games – had become so numerous that they were clogging the
court system. Modeled after a provision in Arizona's state law,
the new federal law requires inmates to pay the standard filing
fee when they initiate a suit. As a result of the law, inmate
lawsuits have dropped 35 percent, according to the Administrative
Office of the U.S. Courts.
Believing that prisoners should make a modest contribution
toward the cost of their health care while in custody, I also
introduced legislation to require them to make co-payments, just
as many law-abiding citizens must do when they seek a doctor’s
care. Congress approved the bill and it has since become law.
While no one will be denied care if he or she cannot afford to
pay, the new law should help reduce unnecessary – and costly
– visits to prison infirmaries by inmates looking to avoid
work or other aspects of prison routine. The fees collected are
deposited into a federal fund for distribution to the victims
of crime, so each time prisoners pay to heal themselves, they
are paying to heal a victim.
Drug abuse ruins millions of lives. Even though
we may not be able to eliminate the problem entirely, saving lives
is worth the effort.
I differ strongly with those who argue that, since we haven't
completely eradicated drugs, we should give up and legalize them.
We have not yet cured cancer, but we have not given up the fight
to eradicate that disease. As a result, we have prolonged and
improved the quality of life for millions afflicted with cancer.
We should not surrender to illegal drug use either. It would mean
giving up on children, families, addicts, and our communities.
This is not a game or a war, where you either win or lose. It's
a long-term struggle to save as many lives as possible.
Drug use causes anti-social behavior. It leads
to crime, homelessness, family disintegration, personal destruction,
and degradation of the environment. The problem goes beyond committing
crimes to support a drug habit. Using drugs is destructive behavior
that affects self, family, friends, others at the workplace, and,
too often, innocent strangers. "Legalization" would
exacerbate every one of these problems.
I support a multi-faceted, well-funded approach
to tackling the drug problem, including continued investments
in drug eradication; interdiction along our borders; effective
anti-drug education programs; increased availability of effective
drug treatment; and tough penalties for drug dealers and kingpins.
With that in mind, I helped secure funding for
Arizona law enforcement to use for training, equipment, and personnel
to fight the spread of methamphetamine that is endangering Arizona's
neighborhoods. I also helped secure funds for the clean-up of
meth labs by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and fought for
more funding for the U.S. Customs Service and Border Patrol to
enhance their ability to seize illegal drugs.
I coauthored legislation to promote drug-free workplace
programs, which often is the difference between drug abusers getting
the help they need and the continuation of their self-destructive
behavior.
To learn more about other initiatives I’ve
worked on, visit other sections of my web site, including Protecting
the Rights of Crime Victims, Immigration
and the Border, Terrorism, and
the Cellular
Telephone Protection Act.
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