Political Quotes

“I'll be brief. Earlier on in the career of the gentleman from Chicago, I flew out to Chicago early one morning to meet with a whole host of people he had convened as he was developing the concept for this bill. I think the entire country is appreciative and has benefited from the work of Danny Davis and Bobby Scott on the Second Chance Act. I was one of the original cosponsors. It's a very significant statement. The chairman is right when he says that he's one of the bigger supporters of this effort. There's a confluence of energy around reentry, from the most conservative sides of the political spectrum to the most liberal. We all realize that some 90-plus percent of the people who are incarcerated are coming home, and the only question becomes: Are they going to come home in a position not to further victimize and end up being re-incarcerated? This is an important effort. This is a program that's probably one of less than a dozen in this bill that has gotten an increase in this bill, and the Senate is significantly lower, with a higher allocation. I guess preachers preach to the choir when only the choir shows up at church on Sunday. But I think the point has been made. The use of the program that we want to cut the money from is probably not one that we would support at the end of the day because it's also needed, but I think the spirit of this amendment will be reflected in our conference deliberations. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR.…”