,,iii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #ddj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march    
#bj1 #bjah ,mr4 ,portman 7for himself   
and ,ms4 ,klobuchar7 submitted the      
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on the ,judiciary    
,,resolution  ,designating ,april #bjah 
as ,second ,chance ,month4  ,whereas    
every individual is endowed with human  
dignity and value2 ,whereas redemption  
and second chances are values of the    
,united ,states2 ,whereas millions of   
individuals in the ,united ,states have 
a criminal record2 ,whereas hundreds of 
thousands of individuals return to their
 communities from ,federal and ,state   
prisons every year2 ,whereas returning  
individuals have paid their debt after  
committing a crime but still face       
significant legal and societal barriers 
7referred to in this preamble as        
collateral consequences72 ,whereas      
collateral consequences are mandatory   
and take effect automatically1          

regardless of-- 7#a7 a nexus to public  
safety2  7#b7 the seriousness of the    
offense2  7#c7 the time passed since the
 offense2 or  7#d7 the efforts of the   
individual to make amends or earn back  
the trust of the public2 ,whereas       
gaining meaningful employment is one of 
the most significant predictors of      
successful reentry and reducing future  
criminal activity2 ,whereas many        
individuals who have previously been    
incarcerated struggle to find employment
 because of collateral consequences     
which are often not directly related to 
the offense committed or any proven     
public safety benefit2 ,whereas many    
,states have laws which prohibit an     
individual with a criminal record from  
working in certain industries or        
obtaining professional licenses2        
,whereas education has also been shown  
to be a significant predictor of        
successful reentry2 ,whereas an         
individual with a criminal record often 
has a lower level of educational        

attainment than the general population  
and has significant difficulty acquiring
 admission to and funding for           
educational programs2 ,whereas an       
individual convicted of certain crimes  
is often barred from receiving the      
financial aid necessary to acquire      
additional skills and knowledge2        
,whereas an individual with a criminal  
record also often faces collateral      
consequences in securing a place to     
live2 ,whereas an individual with a     
criminal record is often barred from    
seeking access to public housing2       
,whereas an individual with a criminal  
record also often faces other collateral
 consequences1 such as an inability to  
regain voting rights1 volunteer in the  
community1 and secure identification    
documentation2 ,whereas an individual   
with a criminal record may incur        
significant debt as a result of         
conviction and incarceration of the     
individual2 ,whereas collateral         
consequences prevent millions of        

individuals in the ,united ,states from 
contributing fully to their families and
 communities2 ,whereas collateral       
consequences can contribute to          
recidivism1 which increases crime and   
victimization and decreases public      
safety2 ,whereas the inability to find  
gainful employment and other collateral 
consequences of conviction inhibit the  
economic mobility of an individual with 
a criminal record1 which can negatively 
impact the well-being of the children   
and the families of the individual for  
generations2 ,whereas the ,president in 
the #bjah ,state of the ,union address  
expressed that1 ,as ,america regains its
 strength1 this opportunity must be     
extended to all citizens4 ,that is why  
this year we will embark on reforming   
our prisons to help former inmates who  
have served their time get a second     
chance at life2 ,whereas ,april #i1     
#bjah1 marks the #aj-year anniversary of
 the passage of the ,second ,chance ,act
 of #bjjg 7,public ,law #aaj-aii2 #abb  

,stat4 #feg71 which has provided reentry
 services to over #aff1jjj individuals  
in #di ,states and the ,district of     
,columbia2 ,whereas the anniversary of  
the death of ,charles ,colson1 who used 
his second chance following his         
incarceration for a ,watergate-related  
crime to found ,prison ,fellowship1 the 
largest outreach program to prisoners1  
former prisoners1 and their families in 
the ,united ,states1 falls on ,april    
#ba2 and ,whereas the designation of    
,april as ,second ,chance ,month can    
contribute to increased public awareness
 about the impact of collateral         
consequences1 the need for closure for  
those who have paid their debt1 and     
opportunities for individuals1          
employers1 congregations1 and           
communities to extend second chances3   
,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that the       
,senate-- 7#a7 designates ,april #bjah  
as ,second ,chance ,month2  7#b7 honors 
the work of communities1 governmental   
institutions1 nonprofit organizations1  

congregations1 employers1 and           
individuals to remove unnecessary legal 
and societal barriers that prevent an   
individual with a criminal record from  
becoming a productive member of society2
 and  7#c7 calls upon the people of the 
,united ,states to observe ,second      
,chance ,month through actions and      
programs that promote awareness of those
 unnecessary legal and social barriers  
and provide closure for individuals with
 a criminal record who have paid their  
debt4