mr. speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
i will be asking members to vote `` no '' on the previous question . 
if the previous question is defeated , i will amend the rule to allow the house to consider the capuano-weiner amendment on the cops program . 
this amendment was offered in the committee on rules last night but was defeated on a straight party-line vote . 
this amendment will reauthorize the community oriented policing services , the cops program , for the next 3 years . 
the cops program , created as a result of the violent crime control and law enforcement act of 1994 , focuses on crime prevention at the local level . 
this program puts law enforcement professionals on the streets and assigns them a beat so they can build mutually beneficial relationships with the people that they serve . 
by earning the trust of members of their community and making those individuals invest in their own safety , community policing makes law enforcement more efficient and makes america safer . 
mr. speaker , if we are really serious about stopping the growing gang problem that is occurring in this country , we need to start at the local level , and we need to include prevention as well as enforcement . 
i know of no better program to meet this worthy goal than the cops program . 
members should be aware that a `` no '' vote will not prevent consideration of the gang deterrence bill and it will not affect any of the amendments that are in order under this rule . 
but a `` no '' vote will allow us to add this important amendment that is one of our most effective tools in the war against violence . 
mr. speaker , as i said at the beginning , if we are truly interested in dealing with the gang problem in this country , we need to do more than pass legislation that sounds tough . 
we need to have legislation that is tough , that will do the job . 
we need to do more than a press release here . 
i urge my colleagues to vote `` no '' on the previous question . 
mr. speaker , i ask unanimous consent that the text of the amendment be printed in the record immediately prior to the vote on the previous question . 
