,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #ajb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march    
#aa1 #bjai,mr4 ,portman 7for himself and
 ,ms4 ,klobuchar7 submitted the         
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on the ,judiciary    
,,resolution  ,designating ,april #bjai 
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 neighbors  
returning to their communities have paid
 their debt to society after committing 
a crime but still face significant legal
 and societal barriers 7referred to in  
this preamble as collateral             
consequences72 ,whereas returning       
individuals face collateral consequences

 automatically1 regardless of-- 7#a7 a  
nexus between the legal or societal     
barrier and public safety2  7#b7 the    
seriousness of the offense committed2   
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 into society and reducing future
 criminal activity2 ,whereas many       
individuals who have previously been    
incarcerated struggle to find employment
 because of collateral consequences1    
which are often not directly related to 
the offense committed or any proven     
public safety benefit2 ,whereas many    
,states have laws that 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 reentry into society2        

,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   
who has been convicted and incarcerated 
may incur significant debt as a result  
of the conviction and incarceration2    

,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 bipartisan    
,first ,step ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law
 #aae-cia7 was signed into law on       
,december #ba1 #bjah1 to increase       
opportunities for individuals           
incarcerated in ,federal prison to      
participate in meaningful recidivism    
reduction programs and prepare for a    
second chance2 ,whereas the ,second     
,chance ,act of #bjjg 7,public ,law     
#aaj-aii2 #abb ,stat4 #feg71 which has  

resulted in the provision of reentry    
services to more than #afd1jjj          
individuals in #di ,states and the      
,district of ,columbia since its        
enactment1 was reauthorized through the 
,first ,step ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law
 #aae-cia72 ,whereas ,april #ba marks   
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 ,states2 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   
debt to society1 and opportunities for  
individuals1 employers1 congregations1  
and communities to extend second        
chances3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that  
the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates ,april    

#bjai 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 debt to society4