,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #edi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march    
#bj1 #bjbj,mr4 ,portman 7for himself and
 ,ms4 ,klobuchar7 submitted the         
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on the ,judiciary    
,,resolution  ,designating ,april #bjbj 
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   
citizens of 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 individuals
 returning from ,federal and ,state     
prisons have paid their debt for        
committing crimes but still face        
significant legal and societal barriers 
7referred to in this preamble as        
collateral consequences72 ,whereas      
collateral consequences for an          

individual returning from a ,federal or 
,state prison are mandatory and take    
effect automatically1 regardless of--   
7#a7 whether there is a nexus between   
the crime and public safety2  7#b7 the  
seriousness of the crime2  7#c7 the time
 that has passed since the individual   
committed the crime2 or  7#d7 the       
efforts of the individual to make amends
 or earn back the trust of the public2  
,whereas1 for individuals returning to  
their communities from ,federal and     
,state prisons1 gaining meaningful      
employment is one of the most           
significant predictors of successful    
reentry and has been shown to reduce    
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 offenses the individuals 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 ,whereas1 in addition to      
employment1 education has also been     
shown to be a significant predictor of  
successful reentry for individuals      
returning from ,federal and ,state      
prisons2 ,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 to1 and  
funding for1 educational programs2      
,whereas an individual who has been     
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-- 7#a7 faces     
collateral consequences in securing a   
place to live2 and  7#b7 is often barred
 from seeking access to public housing2 
,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 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 prisons to     
participate in meaningful recidivism    
reduction programs and prepare for their
 second chances2 ,whereas the programs  
authorized by the ,second ,chance ,act  
of #bjjg 7,public ,law #aaj-aii7-- 7#a7 
have provided reentry services to more  
than #afd1jjj individuals in #di ,states
 and the ,district of ,columbia since   

the date of enactment of the ,act2 and  
7#b7 were reauthorized by the ,first    
,step ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law       
#aae-cia72 ,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 program in the ,united ,states  
that provides outreach to prisoners1    
former prisoners1 and their families1   
falls on ,april #ba2 and ,whereas the   
designation of ,april as ,second ,chance
 ,month may contribute to-- 7#a7        
increased public awareness about-- 7,a7 
the impact of collateral consequences2  
and  7,b7 the need for closure for      
individuals with a criminal record who  
have paid their debt2 and  7#b7         
opportunities for individuals1          
employers1 congregations1 and           
communities to extend second chances to 
those individuals3 ,now1 therefore1 be  
it  ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates 
,april #bjbj 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
 individuals with criminal records from 
becoming productive members of society2 
and  7#c7 calls upon the people of the  
,united ,states to observe ,second      
,chance ,month through actions and      
programs that-- 7,a7 promote awareness  
of those unnecessary legal and social   
barriers2 and  7,b7 provide closure for 
individuals with a criminal record who  
have paid their debt4