Spotlight Announcement

5/5/2008: Congressional Leaders Working on Funding of Second Chance Act

On April 9th, President Bush signed the Second Chance Act (PL 110-199) prisoner reentry legislation, which is designed to reduce recidivism by coordinating reentry services and criminal justice policies at the federal, state, and local level.

The law authorizes a number of reentry programs, including a $55 million grant program to state and local governments to develop reentry initiatives and a $15 million mentoring program for community and faith-based organizations to deliver mentoring and transitional services for people returning from prison or jail.

Now that the Second Chance Act has been signed into law, members of Congress are turning their attention toward ensuring that it receives funding in 2009 so that communities can begin to apply for the Second Chance reentry grants.

Over the past month, members of state and local governments and community leaders have submitted hundreds of letters to Congress requesting that funding be included for the Second Chance Act programs. These letters help the members of Congress determine the priorities of their constituents. Key stakeholders expect grassroots outreach for reentry funding to rise as Congress begins to debate the spending bills.

Senators Joe Biden (D-DE), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) along with Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL) and Howard Coble (R-NC) circulated support letters to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee asking for funding of the Second Chance Act for the upcoming year.

In a statement earlier this month, Senator Brownback said, "I will be working with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to make certain that the Second Chance Act has the funding to enable community and faith-based organizations to deliver needed services. Properly supported, this law will also help connect people released from prison and jail to mentoring, vital mental health and substance abuse treatment, expand job training and placement services, and facilitate transitional housing and case management services."

Tied up in debates over the war supplemental bill, both the House and Senate are delayed in passing the Budget Resolution that includes the total amount available for discretionary spending and a nonbinding statement of Congress's spending priorities. This delay and other factors are creating concern about the likelihood of completing the FY 2009 spending bills this year.

If Congress is unable to pass the spending bills, it will likely pass a continuing resolution (CR), which provides funding for existing federal programs at current or reduced levels. This CR would not include funding for any new programs, including the Second Chance Act. Hill staff report that it is too early to determine if the Committees will pass the spending bills or a CR. As such, key offices have stressed the importance of continuing to reach out to appropriators to urge them to include the Second Chance Act in the appropriations bills.

For more information on the President's FY 2009 appropriations, please visit the Reentry Policy Council website or contact Dominic Lackey.