Congressional Briefs: Tubbs Jones, Lee, Scott

April 13, 2008, 11:20 p.m. - Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones joined Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) and other House and Senate colleagues at the White House for signing of the bi-partisan Second Chance Act into law by President George W. Bush.

"I have been deeply involved in prisoner reentry issues for over 25 years since my days as a judge and county prosecutor in Cleveland, Ohio prior to serving in Congress," said Tubbs Jones. "As an original co-sponsor of this legislation, I am extremely pleased to finally see Congress enact meaningful reentry legislation. I'd like to thank my colleagues in both the House and Senate, particularly Rep. Danny Davis who I have worked with for four years on passing this important piece of legislation along with House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Rep. Bobby Scott and all of my colleagues who helped push this legislation. I want to particularly thank former Congressman Rob Portman for his early leadership on this issue.

"Rep. Tubbs Jones was an original cosponsor of the Second Chance Act and a crucial player in moving this important legislation forward," said former Congressman Rob Portman. "Her passion for the issue of community reentry made the bill better and her persistence paid off this week when a good idea became a law."

"Prisoner reentry is not a Democratic or Republican issue -it is a common sense issue," said Tubbs Jones. "The facts are clear -- meaningful reentry programs significantly diminish the chances that ex-offenders will return to prison. That saves taxpayer dollars and increases public safety. So why not invest in enhancing reentry programs in order to end the cycle of recidivism? That is exactly what the Second Chance Act does."

The State of Ohio has one of the largest populations of ex-offenders re-entering the community, with about 24,000 ex-offenders returning to their respective communities annually. Of those ex-offenders, about 6,000 will return to Cuyahoga County and almost 5,000 will re-enter the City of Cleveland. Statewide, about 40 percent of ex-offenders will return to prison. In Cuyahoga County, about 41 percent will return to prison. Such high recidivism rates translate into thousands of new crimes each year and wasted taxpayer dollars, which can be averted through improved prisoner reentry efforts.

The Second Chance Act allocates $360 million towards a variety of reentry programs. One of the main components of the bill is the funding of demonstration projects that would provide ex-offenders with a coordinated continuum of housing, education, health, employment, and mentoring services. This broad array of services would provide stability and make the transition for ex-offenders easier, in turn reducing recidivism. I look forward to congress appropriating the necessary funds for this program.

Barbara Lee Says Gen. Petraeus Has Not Saved Bush’s Failed Policy in Iraq

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Appropriations Committee’s State Foreign Operations Subcommittee, during Congressional testimony questioned General David Petraeus about the mounting failures in Iraq.

During the exchange, General Petraeus admitted there has not been sufficient progress in Iraq. Congresswoman Lee released the following statement regarding the decision by President Bush to accept the recommendation of General Petraeus to keep U.S. troops in Iraq:

“It’s time for President Bush to face reality and acknowledge that the U.S. occupation in Iraq has not made our nation any safer. The administration misled the American people into a war based on false representations that there were weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq posed a threat to the United States. They sent our brave soldiers into harms way and now we are occupying a country that is descending into civil war, which our troops are asked to referee.

“It is no wonder the American people have lost confidence in this Administration’s handling of Iraq and are demanding an end to the war.

“The decision to stop troop withdrawal is outrageous. The administration is trying to tie the hands of the next president to a disastrous foreign policy that continues to weaken our national security and is crippling our economy. It is far past time we act to fully fund the redeployment of our troops and contractors.”

Congressman David Scott was appointed to the House-Senate Conference Committee on H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 200, otherwise known as the Farm Bill. The conference committee will negotiate differences between the House and Senate passed versions of the bill and establish priorities for nutrition, energy and agricultural policy for the next five years.

“It is an honor for me to be appointed to this important committee,” Scott said. “The passage of a strong Farm Bill will have a significant direct impact on American families in many ways including nutrition, energy and even education. This bill will improve nutrition and access to affordable dietary options for students and the elderly. The bill also boosts funding for renewable energy programs by 600 percent, encourages the production of renewable energy and moves us toward energy independence.”