Fred Heineman: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2650, the Mandatory Federal Prison Drug Treatment Act, restores equity in the way the Federal Bureau…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2650, the Mandatory Federal Prison Drug Treatment Act, restores equity in the way the Federal Bureau of Prisons administers its very successful drug treatment program. H.R. 2650 is an example of bipartisan legislation at its best. I have worked closely with the Department of Justice, and the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, including the ranking minority member of the Crime Subcommittee, Charles Schumer, who enthusiastically supports this legislation. As a 38-year law enforcement veteran, I know the importance of tough and effective drug treatment for nonviolent offenders and the dangerous precedent set by rewarding drug addicts for simply being drug addicts. H.R. 2650 does away with a loophole in the 1994 crime bill which allowed the Bureau of Prisons to release drug addicts a year earlier than their clean counterparts. The Mandatory Federal Prison Drug Treatment Act also strengthens the ability of the Bureau of Prisons to get addicted prisoners into treatment.”