Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5143 establishes a National Criminal Justice Commission consisting of a bipartisan panel of 14 experts appointed by the President, the Majority and Minority Leaders in the Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader in the House. The commission will review all areas of the criminal justice system at the Federal, State, local and tribal levels. It will also examine national trends in criminal justice costs, practices and policies. Further, the commission will provide recommendations for changes to prevent, defer and reduce crime and violence. The recommendations should also help to reduce recidivism, improve cost effectiveness and ensure the interests of justice at every step of the criminal justice system. H.R. 5143 expresses the sense of Congress that the commission should work towards unanimity in making its findings and recommendations. Senator Jim Webb of Virginia introduced legislation to establish this commission in the Senate. The bill is cosponsored by a group of 39 Senators. In the House, my friend from Massachusetts, Bill Delahunt, a colleague on the Judiciary Committee and a former district attorney himself, introduced the House companion legislation to establish the commission. As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts reached across the aisle to Republican members, including the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr.…”