Clinton signs the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act

President Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act — the largest federal crime bill in American history at $30 billion — adding mandatory life sentences for "three strikes" federal offenders, 60 new death penalty offenses, and funding for 100,000 new police officers. Senator Joe Biden, then chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was the bill's primary Senate architect. The Act expanded §924(c) firearm mandatory minimums and added dozens of new mandatory minimum offenses to the federal code.