8/2/07
Senate Judiciary committee sends Second Chance Act to the full Senate
S. 1060, the Senate version of the Second Chance Act, a bill to help formerly incarcerated people successfully reenter society, was unanimously referred to the Senate with no amendments. No hearing has yet been scheduled by the full Senate on the bill.
5/18/07
Second Chance Act suddenly stalls in Congress
H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act, is a bill which would provide funds for programs that help formerly incarcerated people reenter society.
Unfortunately, H.R. 1593 was not voted on by the House of Representatives on May 15 as scheduled. Instead, the bill was pulled off the floor at the last minute by Democratic leaders who were concerned there were not enough votes to ensure its passage. Two-thirds of the House of Representatives (290 Representatives) must vote in favor of this bill to pass it. The Second Chance Act currently has 92 bipartisan co-sponsors.
Representative Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and other cosponsors plan to address concerns raised by some lawmakers and reschedule a vote. As always, FAMM will be sure to inform you of any updates to this bill through e-alerts and our website.
5/01/07
The Second Chance Act has a real chance!
Act now to support reentry legislation in the Senate
The Second Chance Act is still making its way through the legislative process on Capitol Hill. We want to thank all our members for sending action alerts to their congressmen encouraging them to support this piece of legislation. The House version, H.R. 1593, now has 91 cosponsors and the Senate version, S. 1060, has 15 cosponsors. There is still time to contact your congressmen to encourage them to cosponsor these bills and to thank those who have already done so. Click here!
H.R. 1593 was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on March 28 and could be voted on in the full House as early as the week of May 1 and the Senate version, S. 1060, has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Among other things, the Second Chance Act would provide reentry funding on the state and local level to support former prisoners' needs for housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, education, employment and rebuilding family and community ties. The need for better reentry programs has never been more urgent than today. Every year, approximately 650,000 people leave prison unprepared for the transition into society.
4/19/07
The Second Chance Act moves ahead
Designed to reduce recidivism and increase public safety by addressing the needs of prisoners preparing to return to communities from the criminal justice system, the Second Chance Act has been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
On March 29, Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and five members of the Senate from both parties introduced the Senate version of the Second Chance Act of 2007, S. 1060. On March 20, Representative Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and 14 members of the House of Representatives had introduced the House version of the Second Chance Act of 2007, H.R. 1593, which was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on March 28. Five senators have already signed on to S.1060, but more are needed.
Please take action now to help convince your senator to support this bill, or to thank him or her for their sponsorship. Click here to send a personalized email your senators in support of S. 1060.
What would the Second Chance Act of 2007 do?
Among other things, the Second Chance Act would provide reentry funding on the state and local level to support former prisoners' needs for housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, education, employment and rebuilding family and community ties. Nearly 650,000 individuals are released from federal and state custody each year only to find limited support to aid in their reentry efforts. The Second Chance Act of 2007 would help the formerly incarcerated successfully transition back into communities.
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