Skip to main content
HR 4491 103th Congress House

Juvenile Criminal Act of 1994

Official title: To amend the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to identify hardcore juvenile offenders and treat them as adults.

Introduced: August 18, 1994 See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement AssaultCriminal justice informationDelinquency preventionEconomics and Public Finance
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
FamiliesFederal aid to law enforcement agenciesFederal aid to youth servicesFingerprintsFirearmsGovernment Operations and PoliticsGovernment paperworkIdentification of criminalsJuvenile correctionsJuvenile delinquencyJuvenile delinquentsMurderPhotographyProsecutionRapeRecidivistsRobberyWomen
This bill died when the 103rd Congress ended
It never became law before the 103rd Congress (1993–1994) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 22, 1994
Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
May 25, 1994
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
May 25, 1994
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H3970)
May 25, 1994
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action June 22, 1994

Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Juvenile Criminal Act of 1994 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to include among the Act's: (1) findings that emphasis should be placed on identifying hardcore youths who should be transferred from the juvenile justice system to the adult criminal justice system; and (2) purposes to assist State and local governments in improving the identification of hardcore juvenile offenders and the removal of such offenders from the juvenile justice system.

Requires State plans under the Act to provide: (1) specified funding for the establishment and maintenance of an effective system that requires the prosecution of at least those juveniles who are 14 years of age and older as adults, rather than in juvenile proceedings, for listed offenses (murder or attempted murder; robbery, battery, or rape while armed with a firearm; any other crime the State deems appropriate; and the fourth or subsequent occasion on which such juveniles engage in an activity for which adults could be imprisoned for a term exceeding one year) unless, on a case-by-case basis, the transfer of such juveniles for disposition in the juvenile justice system is determined under State law to be in the interest of justice; and (2) that the State ensure that whenever a juvenile is adjudicated in a juvenile proceeding to have engaged in such offenses that a record be kept relating to that adjudication, the juvenile be fingerprinted and photographed (with such fingerprints and photograph sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), and the court in which the adjudication takes place transmit to the FBI information concerning the adjudication and disposition.

Provides for a reduction of sums allotted to a State for a fiscal year by 16 2/3 percent for each of specified paragraphs of the Act with respect to which noncompliance occurs. (Current law provides for a reduction by 25 percent and doesn't include the requirements added by this Act in determining noncompliance.)

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4491: Juvenile Criminal Act of 1994. 103rd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4491/
MLA
"H.R. 4491: Juvenile Criminal Act of 1994." 103rd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4491/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4491, 103rd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4491/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4491: Juvenile Criminal Act of 1994](https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4491/)
Report a problem