Political Quotes

“Before I make a statement, I want to congratulate Congressman Davis for his work, and I see Congressman Bobby Scott there, too. I think this is very important. I support it completely. And I want to kind of put it in the framework of where we are. I rise in opposition to the amendment. The bill represents the best efforts to thoughtfully and effectively fund the important programs under its jurisdiction. I am an ardent supporter of efforts to improve outcomes for people returning to communities from prisons and jails. The Second Chance Act grants help with employment assistance, substance abuse, and does a lot of good work, as Congressman Davis said. That is why this bill, our bill here, provides $70 million for Second Chance Act programs, $70 million, which is an increase of $7 million above 2012. And interestingly enough, it's $45 million above the amount provided in the bill reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Senate Appropriations Committee had 780 or $781 million greater allocation than we had, and yet we are $45 million above the amount provided. In addition to providing the necessary funds for Second Chance, the committee was also committed to recommending significant funding for the SCAAP program. This bill includes $165 million for SCAAP, which is still $75 million below the FY 2012 levels. So SCAAP was below it, and now we're taking more from it.…”