madam chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume .  madam chairman , i rise in support of h.r. 1279 , the gang deterrence and community protection act of 2005 .  this bill is a forward-looking and comprehensive approach to a growing national threat : violent and vicious criminal gangs in our communities .  according to the last national youth gang survey , there are now between 750 , 000 and 850 , 000 gang members in our country .  every city in the country with a population of 250 , 000 or more has reported gang activity .  there are over 25 , 000 gangs in more than 3 , 000 jurisdictions in the united states .  criminal gangs are no longer just a local problem .  in recent years , gangs have become nationally-organized criminal syndicates .  they are disciplined criminal enterprises with leaders , managers and employees , with training and structured associations , many of which are now international in scope .  they are dedicated to enriching themselves through criminal activity and terrorizing our communities .  the law-abiding public and state and local law enforcement have sent us a strong message : act now and stop the scourge of violence in our communities .  this legislation has four broad and significant purposes .  first , the bill authorizes the creation of anti-gang task forces that will bring together federal , state and local law enforcement to conduct complex and significant gang prosecutions and provide a national infrastructure for the sharing of gang information nationwide .  second , the bill creates a new gang crime statute , akin to the rico statute , that addresses specific techniques and criminal strategies used by the gangs .  third , the bill increases penalties and clarifies several existing statutes for crimes typically committed by gangs .  fourth , the bill adopts a limited measure to permit federal prosecutors to charge 16- and 17-year-olds in federal court without going through a lengthy and outdated transfer procedure .  current law has hindered law enforcement efforts to incapacitate violent 16- and 17-year-old gang members in aggravated crimes of violence .  i would like to underscore one important aspect of this bill .  it adopts new mandatory minimum penalties that address the seriousness of violent crimes committed by gang members .  for kidnapping , maiming and aggravated sexual abuse , gang members will be subject to a 30-year mandatory minimum .  for assaults resulting in serious bodily injury ; that is , nearly killing or permanently disabling a person , gang members will face a mandatory minimum of 20 years , and for all other gang crimes , gang members will face a 10-year mandatory minimum penalty .  the mandatory minimums contained in this legislation are carefully tailored to deter and disrupt violent gang activity as swiftly as possible .  these mandatory minimum penalties reflect congress 's duty to ensure that violent gang members are consistently and fairly incarcerated .  further , prosecutors and law enforcement will tell you that in the absence of mandatory guidelines , such penalties are the only way to secure the cooperation of lower-level gang members who have critical information about the tightly-knit gang structure and gang crimes to testify and cooperate against higher-level gang members who typically insulate themselves from the day-to-day criminal activity .  gang members who wish to avoid the mandatory minimum penalty can do so by freely and willingly deciding to cooperate against other gang members .  madam chairman , i wish to take a minute to underscore the support for this measure from law enforcement , and by that , i mean the brave men and women who are on the streets every day putting their lives on the line to fight the gang epidemic in our country .  since this measure was introduced , we have received strong letters of support from organizations representing state and local law enforcement agencies across our country , including the fraternal order of police , the national sheriffs association , the national association of police officers , the national latino peace officers association , the national troopers coalition , the major county chief association , the law enforcement alliance of america , the association for los angeles deputy sheriffs , the district attorney for new orleans , the california gang investigators association and the international union of police associations .  when law enforcement speaks with such a clear and unanimous voice , we have a duty to listen , to act now and to give their members the tools and resources they need to fight and win this battle on behalf of america 's law-abiding citizens .  i want to thank my two colleagues , the gentleman from virginia ( mr. forbes )  and the gentleman from virginia ( mr. wolf )  for their strong and committed leadership on this issue .  they have dedicated both time and effort to h.r. 1279 and should be commended for their focus on combating this disturbing national trend .  i urge my colleagues to support this vital public safety legislation .  tough , determinate sentencing policies have worked to reduce crime in the last 20 years , and now , we are facing a new challenge .  gang violence is a growing national scourge that requires a tough and measured response .  stiff penalties and additional resources to law enforcement will send a clear and unmistakable message to the violent criminal gang members that their conduct will no longer be tolerated .  i urge my colleagues to support this legislation .  madam chairman , i reserve the balance of my time .  