On the recordMay 15, 2019
Madam Speaker, May is National Drug Court Month, and I rise to recognize these remarkable facilities on their 30th anniversary. Since 1989, drug courts have provided countless addicted Americans referral to treatment and a lifesaving alternative to incarceration. When I first started Operation UNITE in my district in 2003, there were only five drug courts in the whole district of 30 counties. Today, we have one in all 30 counties, and those volunteer judges are changing more lives than ever before. At this moment, drug courts are providing a new lease on life to 144,000 Americans around the country. Thank you to the countless professionals who make up our 3,000 drug courts. We have got a long road ahead, but I look forward to ensuring drug courts remain a central part of that journey. ____________________
