Title: A resolution designating April 2020 as "Second Chance Month".
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
This resolution designates April 2020 as Second Chance Month to promote awareness of unnecessary legal and social barriers that prevent individuals with criminal records from becoming productive members of society.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 549 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 549

           Designating April 2020 as ``Second Chance Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 20, 2020

  Mr. Portman (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
           Designating April 2020 as ``Second Chance Month''.

Whereas every individual is endowed with human dignity and value;
Whereas redemption and second chances are values of the United States;
Whereas millions of citizens of the United States have a criminal record;
Whereas hundreds of thousands of individuals return to their communities from 
        Federal and State prisons every year;
Whereas individuals returning from Federal and State prisons have paid their 
        debt for committing crimes but still face significant legal and societal 
        barriers (referred to in this preamble as ``collateral consequences'');
Whereas collateral consequences for an individual returning from a Federal or 
        State prison are mandatory and take effect automatically, regardless 
        of--

    (1) whether there is a nexus between the crime and public safety;

    (2) the seriousness of the crime;

    (3) the time that has passed since the individual committed the crime; 
or

    (4) the efforts of the individual to make amends or earn back the trust 
of the public;

Whereas, for individuals returning to their communities from Federal and State 
        prisons, gaining meaningful employment is one of the most significant 
        predictors of successful reentry and has been shown to reduce future 
        criminal activity;
Whereas many individuals who have previously been incarcerated struggle to find 
        employment because of collateral consequences, which are often not 
        directly related to the offenses the individuals committed or any proven 
        public safety benefit;
Whereas many States have laws that prohibit an individual with a criminal record 
        from working in certain industries or obtaining professional licenses;
Whereas, in addition to employment, education has also been shown to be a 
        significant predictor of successful reentry for individuals returning 
        from Federal and State prisons;
Whereas an individual with a criminal record often has a lower level of 
        educational attainment than the general population and has significant 
        difficulty acquiring admission to, and funding for, educational 
        programs;
Whereas an individual who has been convicted of certain crimes is often barred 
        from receiving the financial aid necessary to acquire additional skills 
        and knowledge;
Whereas an individual with a criminal record--

    (1) faces collateral consequences in securing a place to live; and

    (2) is often barred from seeking access to public housing;

Whereas collateral consequences prevent millions of individuals in the United 
        States from contributing fully to their families and communities;
Whereas collateral consequences can contribute to recidivism, which increases 
        crime and victimization and decreases public safety;
Whereas the inability to find gainful employment and other collateral 
        consequences of conviction inhibit the economic mobility of an 
        individual with a criminal record, which can negatively impact the well-
        being of the children and families of the individual for generations;
Whereas the bipartisan First Step Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-391) was signed 
        into law on December 21, 2018, to increase opportunities for individuals 
        incarcerated in Federal prisons to participate in meaningful recidivism 
        reduction programs and prepare for their second chances;
Whereas the programs authorized by the Second Chance Act of 2007 (Public Law 
        110-199)--

    (1) have provided reentry services to more than 164,000 individuals in 
49 States and the District of Columbia since the date of enactment of the 
Act; and

    (2) were reauthorized by the First Step Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-
391);

Whereas the anniversary of the death of Charles Colson, who used his second 
        chance following his incarceration for a Watergate-related crime to 
        found Prison Fellowship, the largest program in the United States that 
        provides outreach to prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, 
        falls on April 21; and
Whereas the designation of April as ``Second Chance Month'' may contribute to--

    (1) increased public awareness about--

    G    (A) the impact of collateral consequences; and

    G    (B) the need for closure for individuals with a criminal record 
who have paid their debt; and

    (2) opportunities for individuals, employers, congregations, and 
communities to extend second chances to those individuals: Now, therefore, 
be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates April 2020 as ``Second Chance Month'';
            (2) honors the work of communities, governmental 
        institutions, nonprofit organizations, congregations, 
        employers, and individuals to remove unnecessary legal and 
        societal barriers that prevent individuals with criminal 
        records from becoming productive members of society; and
            (3) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
        Second Chance Month through actions and programs that--
                    (A) promote awareness of those unnecessary legal 
                and social barriers; and
                    (B) provide closure for individuals with a criminal 
                record who have paid their debt.
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