I, too, want to offer my appreciation for all of my colleagues--in particular, those who have offered this legislation. I recall, in the Congress preceding this, we offered a bipartisan combination of comprehensive criminal justice reform…

Without provisions in the bill to reduce the excessive sentencing produced by mandatory minimums for drug offenses, overcrowding will still persist and thereby divert resources from programs to reduce recidivism. Let me be very clear: The…

Let me thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding. Let me very quickly say that my first statement is my opposition to this bill. I can't imagine the cut of $23 billion out of our food nutrition program, nor can I understand the…

I want to be clear that I respect the bill that is moving forward but recognize that we really need to do more. One of the points that I want to make is this new law does not have mandatory minimums. It does allow the discretion of the…

Thank you for the opportunity to begin discussion on the floor for issues that, I think, against the backdrop of Mother's Day, the desire to be family friendly in this Nation, and really to answer the question of Americans: Can our…

I was honored just a few minutes ago to be on the floor of the House with the chairman of the committee, Mr. Goodlatte; the ranking member, Mr. Nadler; the proponent of this bill, Mr. Rutherford; and our Democratic proponent, Mrs. Demings…

And I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) and the Law Enforcement Caucus, Mr. Reichert, and I pay tribute to his service. Certainly, Mr. Pascrell has been on the front lines for a very…

We are just having some discussion about the order of bills. Thank you so very much for your indulgence. I want to ask if the ranking member has any additional speakers.

First of all, let me thank Congressman Raskin for the diligent work that he has done on the Judiciary Committee, as a whole, but particularly his assistance today for those of us who were flying in. This is a particularly important bill…

It is my pleasure to yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), well known for his commitment to first responders throughout the Nation.

I am delighted, if I might say, to be with Professor Raskin today, and I would like to use that terminology, or Congressman Raskin, but it means that he gets into both the theory, the practice, and the passion of an idea. That is what…

I thank the gentleman from Texas. He is a dear friend. As we debate this question, I think it is a very important moment as we look at comprehensive criminal justice reform. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr…