But as the legislation goes to a Senate-House conference, a major snag has emerged. The House version contains a controversial provision making it easier for inmates to challenge death sentences as racially biased. The Senate has voted to reject the ““racial justice’’ amendment. Dumping the measure from the final bill could cost the support of House liberals and members of the Black Caucus. Keeping it will anger Senate conservatives, already skittish over the assault-weapons ban.
The administration is officially ““neutral’’ on the racial-justice provision. ““The vote count is complicated,’’ says a Clinton aide. ““This is no sure thing.’’ While White House aides are counting on a crime package, it won’t be on Clinton’s desk by Memorial Day, as they’d hoped. That’s the second self-imposed holiday deadline that’s slipped: the launch of Clinton’s welfare-reform plan has already slid – again – to mid-June.
