But Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-4th District, the “gangbuster” proposal’s principal sponsor, argued that the tough sentences will give prosecutors a powerful tool to help break up gangs.

When young and lower-ranking gang members understand that they face long prison terms, “they start testifying to bring down the big guys,” Forbes said .

Virginia lawmakers openly split over gang-crime bill

By DALE EISMAN, The Virginian-Pilot

WASHINGTON — A Republican attempt to expand the role of the Justice Department and the federal courts in attacking gang violence led to a rare public split in the Virginia congressional delegation Tuesday, as a senior Democrat charged that the GOP proposal “will waste money and increase crime.”Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, D-3rd District, said the bill’s mandatory minimum prison sentences – including life terms for gang-related homicides – “have been solidly proven to be counterproductive” and could require $2 billion in new prison construction over the next decade.

Though their voting records are dramatically different, Scott and Forbes and other Virginia representatives in the Capitol have a history of avoiding public disagreements.

That will continue notwithstanding Tuesday’s debate, both men said.

“Bobby and I are good friends...” Forbes told reporters. “We’ve worked together on NASA funding and we’ll work together again on shipbuilding. We have a great deal of respect for each other.”

“We will continue working cooperatively on the local issues,” Scott said .

“On this issue, we disagree and we’ll express our disagreements.”

Scott asserted that police and prosecutors already have the laws they need to punish violent criminals, regardless of any gang involvement. And the federal courts have little experience in dealing with the special problems of juvenile offenders, he said.

Federal judges, including Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, have specifically asked Congress not to increase their role in cases involving juveniles, most of which typically are handled in state courts.

Forbes countered that prosecutors across the country have been pressing for more federal help in attacking gangs, which he described as increasingly violent and growing in numbers.

Forbes’ bill comes as former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, the Republican candidate for governor, pursues a campaign built in part on his tough stance against gangs.

Forbes said last month that he has not discussed his legislation with Kilgore.

Though the House Republican leadership has put the bill on a fast track, it got only tepid backing from the Bush administration in a House hearing on Tuesday.

Patrick J. Fitzgerald, a Chicago-based federal prosecutor, offered “general support for the goals of the bill,” but devoted most of his testimony to detailing a series of successful gang prosecutions and cooperation between state and federal authorities under existing law.