House Republicans scored their fifth and sixth major legislative victories of the 10 points of the Contract With America this week, less than halfway through the 100 days in which they promised to vote on all of the issues. Passed were the National Security Revitalization Act and the final of six crime bills. The House GOP already had won passage of a balanced budget amendment, a measure to give the president a line-item veto on spending bills, a bill to end unfunded mandates on state and local governments and a measure that subjects Congress to the same laws faced by the rest of the country.

So much has been accomplished in so little time that some Republicans complain that they aren't getting the attention and credit they deserve. They are right, but so what? More than 630 days remain before the next election, and American voters will know by then whether or not Republicans kept their promise in the first 100 days.

Having said that, it is worth noting what exactly the Republicans have accomplished and what they have not. Today, a look at the crime bill.

Crime

During the past week, the GOP House passed six measures significantly toughening the crime bill passed by a Democratic Congress last summer. Gone are questionable federal programs like midnight basketball and arts and crafts classes for convicted felons. In their place are limits on the appeals of death-row prisoners, stricter requirements for truth in sentencing and more money for building prisons.

Altogether, House Republicans carved over $5 billion from President Clinton's prevention programs and increased the amount authorized for new prison construction to a record $10.5 billion. Half this money is scheduled to go to states that imprison violent criminals for at least 85 percent of their sentences. The other half would go to states that increase the incarceration of violent criminals above current lengths. The percentage of their sentences criminals face behind bars in most states today: less than 40 percent.

The exclusionary rule

Other House Republican crime measures expand the exceptions to the rule excluding unlawfully seized evidence from criminal cases, make it possible for aliens who commit aggravated felonies -- including the smuggling of other aliens into the country -- to be deported and establish a requirement that criminals in federal cases repay victims for damages resulting from their crimes.

These items contrast with the Clinton crime bill in a number of ways. First, Republicans would allow evidence seized by police without a warrant to be considered in court if the police officers made the mistake in good faith. Clinton's bill was silent on the matter. He opposes the idea today, although it would increase the police's power in convicting criminals. Regarding victim restitution, Clinton's bill required it only in cases of sexual abuse and federal child pornography offenses. The Republicans require it for nearly all federal crimes.

The common denominator for both Republican changes is to be fairer to the victim, harder on the criminal.

Police-and-prevention block grants

The most controversial element of the legislation passed by the GOP majority is a $10 billion block grant to be divided among local authorities. The Republican goal is to give those closest to crime problems the choice of spending the money on hiring more police or on other crime-prevention programs. The block grant replaces Clinton's promise to fund the hiring of 100,000 new police over six years, and the president has threatened to veto the change.

Two things are particularly interesting about this development. First, few observers believe that the Clinton bill would come close to putting 100,000 policemen on the streets, and the White House is more than a little disingenuous in suggesting that it does. Second, block grants would allow local authorities to develop some crime prevention programs that the Republicans decried as pork last summer.

In the big picture, there is no question that the House Republicans are keeping their promise to the American people. They have created a much tougher crime bill, while not spending any more money than the earlier, less-stringent measure.

No wonder House Republicans want more attention than they are getting.

Jon K. Rust is a Washington-based writer for the Southeast Missourian.