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Congressional Record—Senate S7838

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Congressional Record—Senate S7838 S7838 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 19, 2018 passage of the historic progrowth, mid- conference about 5 weeks ago when he couldn’t have been done without the dle-class tax reform, the most signifi- endorsed this legislation. stalwart commitment by a somewhat cant tax reform in a generation. His ac- The FIRST STEP Act will help keep unlikely cadre of colleagues and advo- complishments also include confirma- our streets safe, and it offers a fresh cates. We have had to compromise to tion right here in the Senate of con- start to those who put in the work make this possible, to seek to under- servative judges to the Federal bench— when they were in prison to get right stand the other’s points of view. In so hundreds and hundreds—including with the law while paying their debt to doing, I think we made the bill better, playing an instrumental role in the society. It also addresses unfairness in and we accomplished something of his- confirmation of Supreme Court Jus- prison sentencing and revises policies toric significance that will reduce tices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, that have led to overcrowded prisons crime, make our system more just, and Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh, as and, of course, ballooning taxpayer ex- improve lives for generations to come. well as, as I said, scores, if not hun- penses. Senators DURBIN and LEE, as I pre- dreds, of district and circuit court Several decades ago, Congress passed viously stated, were instrumental in judges. well-intentioned laws imposing harsh this effort. Their interest in criminal One of Senator HATCH’s particularly mandatory sentences to stop the flow justice reform dates back beyond my noteworthy achievements, among oth- of drugs into our communities, and it getting involved in it in 2014. The exact ers, on the Judiciary Committee is the happened that I voted for those laws, date, I don’t know, but probably after Religious Freedom Restoration Act of but they have also had some unin- Senators LEE and DURBIN joined hands, 1993, a bill he authored and cosponsored tended consequences. Our prison popu- probably soon after Senator LEE came with the late Senator Ted Kennedy. It lation has exploded, and the taxpayers’ to the Senate. Their efforts inspired was landmark legislation allowing burden to house inmates has followed the Senate to take a fresh look at our Americans to live, to work, and to wor- suit. Today, taxpayers pay more than sentencing and prison laws. ship in accordance with their beliefs. $7 billion a year on our Federal prison Senator GRAHAM, the incoming chair- Senator HATCH’s reputation as a population; however, despite that high man of the Judiciary Committee, Sen- statesman and his record of fiscal re- cost, nearly half the inmates released ator CORNYN, and Senator WHITEHOUSE sponsibility even earned him the nick- today are rearrested. have also been with us since the very As a member of the Senate Judiciary name ‘‘Mr. Balanced Budget’’ from beginning of this effort. Committee for the last 38 years, I con- Senators BOOKER and SCOTT both President Reagan. sider myself—then and now—a law-and- share a passion for criminal justice re- Senator HATCH is also widely known order Republican. I am also a taxpayer form and have been vocal advocates, for his musical career and film appear- watchdog, and I believe in the redemp- shining a light on the shortcomings ances. He plays the violin, the piano, tive power of rehabilitation. So in 2015, and societal impact of our current sys- and the organ. Think of the talent this I began to take a closer look at our tem. man has. prison and sentencing laws. We needed Credit is also due to our House col- Senator HATCH and his wife, Elaine, to make the system work better for the leagues—Chairman GOODLATTE, Rank- have been married for more than 50 taxpayers, help law enforcement fight ing Member NADLER, and Congressmen years. They have 6 children, 23 grand- crime, and put a stopper in the revolv- COLLINS and JEFFRIES, who introduced children, and many great-grand- ing prison door. I was led to that effort the FIRST STEP Act in the House. And children. Think of a lifetime achieve- by the efforts of Senator LEE and Sen- thanks to Speaker RYAN for his support ment, and he has, I believe, many years ator DURBIN, who had been working on and pledge to bring this to the House left. similar legislation for probably 3 to 4 floor so quickly. He will be truly missed here in the years before my entry into this debate. At every step along the way, we have Senate, and I wish him all the best in Several States across the country stuck together. We pitched this bill to the next chapter of his life. have developed these education, treat- our colleagues and made changes based I yield the floor. ment, and training programs. The re- on their suggestions. We also relied on I suggest the absence of a quorum. sult has been a significant decline in input and expertise from a variety of The PRESIDING OFFICER. The recidivism. This means fewer crimes, groups from across the political spec- clerk will call the roll. fewer victims, and fewer tax dollars trum. In the end, this campaign earned The senior assistant legislative clerk spent housing inmates. the support of several top law enforce- proceeded to call the roll. The FIRST STEP Act is carefully ment and tough-on-crime champions, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- crafted to provide opportunities at re- such as President Trump. ator from Iowa. demption for low-risk inmates, while I think it is important to acknowl- Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask ensuring that dangerous and career edge the President’s leadership on this unanimous consent that the order for criminals stay behind bars. It does this issue. When he got involved, he closed the quorum call be rescinded. through a multilayer system that fil- the deal, and we got this done. He was The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without ters out dangerous criminals and those helped in that effort by Jared Kushner. objection, it is so ordered. likely to commit new crimes. Early in President Trump’s adminis- f The bill rewards those who take per- tration, I happened to be in the Oval FIRST STEP ACT sonal responsibility for their mistakes Office of the new President. Jared and want to put in the time and will Kushner was there, and we discussed Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, put in the time and effort to turn their taking up criminal justice reform. I today is a good day for representative lives around. just asked him if he was interested in government, it is a good day for the It improves fairness in sentencing it. I wanted to give him a phone call, so taxpayers, and it is a good day for safe while preserving important law en- we had that phone call. He took the streets and strong families. It is also a forcement tools. issue and ran with it and helped find a good day to emphasize that many It reduces some mandatory minimum way forward to accomplish something times Congress acts in a bipartisan sentences, but it also expands their ap- previous administrations had tried and way, and probably not enough so we plication to include violent felons. failed to do. Brooke Rollins and Ja’Ron get credit for it. But last night, one of It grants judges additional discretion Smith at the White House were also in- these bipartisan pieces of legislation to sentence low-level, nonviolent of- strumental in this effort, working with passed by a vote of 87 to 12. That hap- fenders to less lengthy sentences as Jared Kushner. pened when the Senate adopted the long as they fully cooperate with law I would also like to thank the major- FIRST STEP Act. enforcement. Finally, it eliminates the ity leader for staying true to his word Today, the House is expected to send disparity in sentences for crack and and bringing this bill to the floor when it to the President, who is waiting with powder cocaine offenses, which dis- we demonstrated the support for our a pen in hand to enact once-in-a-gen- proportionately impacts communities effort that he demanded. In the end, I eration criminal justice reform. I am of color. appreciated his vote for this bill. confident that the President is ready Passing these reforms has been a Thanks also is due to the Senate to do that because I attended the news team effort years in the making. It floor staff on both sides of the aisle VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:24 Dec 20, 2018 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G19DE6.029 S19DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with SENATE December 19, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7839 who helped us successfully navigate tion of Chiefs of Police, the National Institute for Prison Ministries; International the bill to final passage. Organization of Black Law Enforce- Community of Corrections Associations; I want to thank my Senate staff, who ment Executives, the National District Fairness, Dignity & Respect for Crime Vic- tims & Survivors; Crime Survivors for Safety helped make this possible. Bipartisan Attorneys Association, the Association and Justice; Just Detention; Justice and Se- compromise is not for the faint of of Prosecuting Attorneys, and Law En- rious Mental Illness; Lifted from the Rut. heart, and they have stayed true to the forcement Leaders. National Conference of State Legislatures; commitment that Senator DURBIN and I am getting to the end.
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