Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SR149 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	III
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. RES. 149
5	5	Designating April 2025 as ‘‘Second Chance Month’’.
6	6	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
7	7	APRIL1 (legislative day, MARCH31), 2025
8	8	Ms. K
9	9	LOBUCHAR(for herself, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. MARKEY, and Mrs. CAPITO)
10	10	submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
11	11	on the Judiciary
12	12	RESOLUTION
13	13	Designating April 2025 as ‘‘Second Chance Month’’.
14	14	Whereas every individual is endowed with human dignity and
15	15	value;
16	16	Whereas redemption and second chances are values of the
17	17	United States;
18	18	Whereas millions of citizens of the United States have a
19	19	criminal record;
20	20	Whereas hundreds of thousands of individuals return to their
21	21	communities from Federal and State prisons every year;
22	22	Whereas individuals returning from Federal and State pris-
23	23	ons have paid their debt for committing crimes but still
24	24	face significant legal and societal barriers (referred to in
25	25	this preamble as ‘‘collateral consequences’’);
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28	28	•SRES 149 IS
29	29	Whereas collateral consequences for an individual returning
30	30	from a Federal or State prison are mandatory and take
31	31	effect automatically, regardless of—
32	32	(1) whether there is a nexus between the crime and
33	33	public safety;
34	34	(2) the seriousness of the crime;
35	35	(3) the time that has passed since the individual
36	36	committed the crime; or
37	37	(4) the efforts of the individual to make amends or
38	38	earn back the trust of the public;
39	39	Whereas, for individuals returning to their communities from
40	40	Federal and State prisons, gaining meaningful employ-
41	41	ment is one of the most significant predictors of success-
42	42	ful reentry and has been shown to reduce future criminal
43	43	activity;
44	44	Whereas many individuals who have been incarcerated strug-
45	45	gle to find employment and access capital to start a small
46	46	business because of collateral consequences, which are
47	47	sometimes not directly related to the offenses the individ-
48	48	uals committed or any proven public safety benefit;
49	49	Whereas many States have laws that prohibit an individual
50	50	with a criminal record from working in certain industries
51	51	or obtaining professional licenses;
52	52	Whereas, in addition to employment, education has also been
53	53	shown to be a significant predictor of successful reentry
54	54	for individuals returning from Federal and State prisons;
55	55	Whereas an individual with a criminal record often has a
56	56	lower level of educational attainment than the general
57	57	population and has significant difficulty acquiring admis-
58	58	sion to, and funding for, educational programs;
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61	61	•SRES 149 IS
62	62	Whereas an individual who has been convicted of certain
63	63	crimes is often barred from receiving the financial aid
64	64	necessary to acquire additional skills and knowledge
65	65	through some formal educational programs;
66	66	Whereas an individual with a criminal record—
67	67	(1) faces collateral consequences in securing a place
68	68	to live; and
69	69	(2) is often barred from seeking access to public
70	70	housing;
71	71	Whereas collateral consequences can prevent millions of indi-
72	72	viduals in the United States from contributing fully to
73	73	their families and communities;
74	74	Whereas collateral consequences can have an impact on pub-
75	75	lic safety by contributing to recidivism;
76	76	Whereas collateral consequences have particularly impacted
77	77	underserved communities of color and community rates of
78	78	employment, housing stability, and recidivism;
79	79	Whereas the inability to find gainful employment and other
80	80	collateral consequences of conviction inhibit the economic
81	81	mobility of an individual with a criminal record, which
82	82	can negatively impact the well-being of the children and
83	83	families of the individual for generations;
84	84	Whereas the bipartisan First Step Act of 2018 (Public Law
85	85	115–391; 132 Stat. 5194) was signed into law on Decem-
86	86	ber 21, 2018, to increase opportunities for individuals in-
87	87	carcerated in Federal prisons to participate in meaningful
88	88	recidivism reduction programs and prepare for their sec-
89	89	ond chances;
90	90	Whereas the programs authorized by the Second Chance Act
91	91	of 2007 (Public Law 110–199; 122 Stat. 657)—
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94	94	•SRES 149 IS
95	95	(1) have provided reentry services to more than
96	96	442,000 individuals in 49 States and the District of Co-
97	97	lumbia since the date of enactment of the Act; and
98	98	(2) were reauthorized by the First Step Act of 2018
99	99	(Public Law 115–391; 132 Stat. 5194);
100	100	Whereas the anniversary of the death of Charles Colson, who
101	101	used his second chance following his incarceration for a
102	102	Watergate-related crime to found Prison Fellowship, the
103	103	largest program in the United States that provides out-
104	104	reach to prisoners, former prisoners, and their families,
105	105	falls on April 21; and
106	106	Whereas the designation of April as ‘‘Second Chance Month’’
107	107	may contribute to—
108	108	(1) increased public awareness about—
109	109	(A) the impact of collateral consequences; and
110	110	(B) the need for closure for individuals with a
111	111	criminal record who have paid their debt; and
112	112	(2) opportunities for individuals, employers, con-
113	113	gregations, and communities to extend second chances to
114	114	those individuals: Now, therefore, be it
115	115	Resolved, That the Senate— 1
116	116	(1) designates April 2025 as ‘‘Second Chance 2
117	117	Month’’; 3
118	118	(2) honors the work of communities, govern-4
119	119	mental institutions, nonprofit organizations, con-5
120	120	gregations, employers, and individuals to remove un-6
121	121	necessary legal and societal barriers that prevent in-7
122	122	dividuals with criminal records from becoming pro-8
123	123	ductive members of society; and 9
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126	126	•SRES 149 IS
127	127	(3) calls upon the people of the United States 1
128	128	to observe Second Chance Month through actions 2
129	129	and programs that— 3
130	130	(A) promote awareness of those unneces-4
131	131	sary legal and social barriers; and 5
132	132	(B) provide closure for individuals with a 6
133	133	criminal record who have paid their debt. 7
134	134	Æ
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