Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HR289 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	IV
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. RES. 289
5	5	Expressing support for the designation of April 2025 as ‘‘Second Chance
6	6	Month’’.
7	7	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8	APRIL1, 2025
9	9	Mr. W
10	10	ESTERMAN(for himself, Mr. MOOREof Alabama, Mr. BACON, Mrs.
11	11	M
12	12	ILLERof West Virginia, Mr. DAVISof Illinois, Mrs. MCBATH, and Ms.
13	13	W
14	14	ILSONof Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
15	15	ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary
16	16	RESOLUTION
17	17	Expressing support for the designation of April 2025 as
18	18	‘‘Second Chance Month’’.
19	19	Whereas every individual is endowed with human dignity and
20	20	value;
21	21	Whereas redemption and second chances are values of the
22	22	United States;
23	23	Whereas millions of citizens of the United States have a
24	24	criminal record;
25	25	Whereas hundreds of thousands of individuals return to their
26	26	communities from Federal and State prisons every year;
27	27	Whereas individuals returning from Federal and State pris-
28	28	ons have paid their debt for committing crimes but still
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31	31	•HRES 289 IH
32	32	face significant legal and societal barriers (referred to in
33	33	this preamble as ‘‘collateral consequences’’);
34	34	Whereas collateral consequences for an individual returning
35	35	from a Federal or State prison are mandatory and take
36	36	effect automatically, regardless of—
37	37	(1) whether there is a nexus between the crime and
38	38	public safety;
39	39	(2) the seriousness of the crime;
40	40	(3) the time that has passed since the individual
41	41	committed the crime; or
42	42	(4) the efforts of the individual to make amends or
43	43	earn back the trust of the public;
44	44	Whereas, for individuals returning to their communities from
45	45	Federal and State prisons, gaining meaningful employ-
46	46	ment is one of the most significant predictors of success-
47	47	ful reentry and has been shown to reduce future criminal
48	48	activity;
49	49	Whereas many individuals who have been incarcerated strug-
50	50	gle to find employment and access capital to start a small
51	51	business because of collateral consequences, which are
52	52	sometimes not directly related to the offenses the individ-
53	53	uals committed or any proven public safety benefit;
54	54	Whereas many States have laws that prohibit an individual
55	55	with a criminal record from working in certain industries
56	56	or obtaining professional licenses;
57	57	Whereas, in addition to employment, education has also been
58	58	shown to be a significant predictor of successful reentry
59	59	for individuals returning from Federal and State prisons;
60	60	Whereas an individual with a criminal record often has a
61	61	lower level of educational attainment than the general
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64	64	•HRES 289 IH
65	65	population and has significant difficulty acquiring admis-
66	66	sion to, and funding for, educational programs;
67	67	Whereas an individual who has been convicted of certain
68	68	crimes is often barred from receiving the financial aid
69	69	necessary to acquire additional skills and knowledge
70	70	through certain formal educational programs;
71	71	Whereas an individual with a criminal record—
72	72	(1) faces collateral consequences in securing a place
73	73	to live; and
74	74	(2) is often barred from seeking access to public
75	75	housing;
76	76	Whereas collateral consequences can prevent millions of indi-
77	77	viduals in the United States from contributing fully to
78	78	their families and communities;
79	79	Whereas collateral consequences can have an impact on pub-
80	80	lic safety by contributing to recidivism;
81	81	Whereas collateral consequences have particularly impacted
82	82	underserved communities of color and community rates of
83	83	employment, housing stability, and recidivism;
84	84	Whereas the inability to find gainful employment and other
85	85	collateral consequences inhibit the economic mobility of
86	86	an individual with a criminal record, which can negatively
87	87	impact the well-being of the children and families of the
88	88	individual for generations;
89	89	Whereas the bipartisan First Step Act of 2018 (Public Law
90	90	115–391; 132 Stat. 5194) was signed into law on Decem-
91	91	ber 21, 2018, to increase opportunities for individuals in-
92	92	carcerated in Federal prisons to participate in meaningful
93	93	recidivism reduction programs and prepare for their sec-
94	94	ond chances;
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97	97	•HRES 289 IH
98	98	Whereas the programs authorized by the Second Chance Act
99	99	of 2007 (Public Law 110–199; 122 Stat. 657)—
100	100	(1) have provided reentry services to more than
101	101	442,000 individuals in 49 States and the District of Co-
102	102	lumbia since the date of the enactment of such Act; and
103	103	(2) were reauthorized by the First Step Act of 2018
104	104	(Public Law 115–391; 132 Stat. 5194);
105	105	Whereas the anniversary of the death of Charles Colson, who
106	106	used his second chance following his incarceration for a
107	107	Watergate-related crime to found Prison Fellowship, the
108	108	largest program in the United States that provides out-
109	109	reach to prisoners, former prisoners, and their families,
110	110	falls on April 21; and
111	111	Whereas the designation of April as ‘‘Second Chance Month’’
112	112	may contribute to—
113	113	(1) increased public awareness about—
114	114	(A) the impact of collateral consequences; and
115	115	(B) the need for closure for individuals with a
116	116	criminal record who have paid their debt; and
117	117	(2) opportunities for individuals, employers, con-
118	118	gregations, and communities to extend second chances to
119	119	those individuals: Now, therefore, be it
120	120	Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
121	121	(1) supports the designation of ‘‘Second Chance 2
122	122	Month’’; 3
123	123	(2) honors the work of communities, govern-4
124	124	mental institutions, nonprofit organizations, con-5
125	125	gregations, employers, and individuals to remove un-6
126	126	necessary legal and societal barriers that prevent in-7
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129	129	•HRES 289 IH
130	130	dividuals with criminal records from becoming pro-1
131	131	ductive members of society; and 2
132	132	(3) calls upon the people of the United States 3
133	133	to observe ‘‘Second Chance Month’’ through actions 4
134	134	and programs that— 5
135	135	(A) promote awareness of those unneces-6
136	136	sary legal and social barriers; and 7
137	137	(B) provide closure for individuals with a 8
138	138	criminal record who have paid their debt. 9
139	139	Æ
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