[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 29, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         UNITED STATES PAROLE COMMISSION EXTENSION ACT OF 2008

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 3294) to provide for the continued performance of the 
functions of the United States Parole Commission.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                S. 3294

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``United States Parole 
     Commission Extension Act of 2008''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF SENTENCING REFORM ACT OF 1984.

       For purposes of section 235(b) of the Sentencing Reform Act 
     of 1984 (18 U.S.C. 3551 note; Public Law 98-473; 98 Stat. 
     2032), as such section relates to chapter 311 of title 18, 
     United States Code, and the United States Parole Commission, 
     each reference in such section to ``21 years'' or ``21-year 
     period'' shall be deemed a reference to ``24 years'' or ``24-
     year period'', respectively.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous 
material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 3294, the United States Parole Commission Extension 
Act of 2008, would authorize the United States Parole Commission for 
another 3 years.
  Under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, criminal defendants 
sentenced for Federal offenses committed on or after November 1, 1987 
serve determinate terms and are not eligible for patrol.
  Since the elimination of Federal parole in 1987, the Parole 
Commission has been reauthorized on four prior occasions. Current 
reauthorization is set to expire October 31, 2008.
  The Commission has jurisdiction over Federal offenders sentenced 
before November 1, 1987, as well as DC offenders sentenced before 
August 4, 2000. The Commission also has jurisdiction over an increasing 
number of DC offenders on supervised release.
  Should the Commission not be reauthorized, the Department of Justice 
is concerned that Federal inmates who were sentenced prior to 1987 will 
begin to file motions for release under the Sentencing Reform Act. This 
act requires inmates sentenced before 1987 to be given release dates 3 
to 6 months prior to the Commission's expiration. This is why it's 
imperative that Congress act immediately to reauthorize the Parole 
Commission.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself so much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3294, the United States Parole 
Commission Extension Act of 2008.
  This bipartisan legislation will extend the authorization of the 
United States Parole Commission for an additional 3 years.
  Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and Ranking Member Lamar 
Smith introduced the House version of this bill earlier this month. 
Crime Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott and Ranking Member Louie 
Gohmert also joined as cosponsors.
  The Parole Commission is an independent agency within the Department 
of Justice that has the responsibility of supervising Federal offenders 
that are eligible for parole. The Parole Commission also has 
jurisdiction over offenders from the District of Columbia who are 
parole-eligible and those convicted under current DC law, under which 
they cannot be paroled.
  Today, the great majority of the Commission's workload concerns the 
District of Columbia offenders. That's because the group of offenders 
that the Commission was originally intended to supervise--Federal 
offenders that are eligible for parole--are a small category of 
prisoners getting smaller every day. This decrease in the number of 
parole-eligible Federal offenders is the result of a decision by 
Congress to end indeterminate sentencing, and therefore Federal parole, 
with the passage of the Sentencing Reform Act, or SRA, of 1984.
  As a result of the SRA, the arbitrary and disparate sentences imposed 
by judges under the old system were replaced with determinate sentences 
mandated by strong guidelines created by the U.S. Sentencing 
Commission. This new Federal sentencing arrangement has been an 
unquestioned success. Determinate sentencing makes incarceration terms 
more meaningful and ensures that offenders actually serve most of their 
sentences. Determinate sentencing also helped to restore the 
credibility of courts by making sentencing more uniform.
  Over the last 25 years the national crime rate has dropped. This 
decrease in crime can be attributed to determinate sentencing, which 
keeps the violent criminals in prison and off the streets, and it also 
provides a deterrent.
  In an effort to lower local crime rates, the District of Columbia 
followed the Federal example and abolished parole. Under the new DC 
system, the DC Superior Court imposes a term of incarceration and 
supervised release, and the Parole Commission enforces the conditions 
of the supervised release.
  Like the population of Federal offenders eligible for parole, the 
parole-eligible DC offender population is declining over time, although 
at a slower rate than Federal offenders.

                              {time}  1630

  However, because all incoming offenders are now sentenced under the 
new law, the DC supervised release offender population is increasing 
over time.
  The Department of Justice has indicated that it will evaluate the 
future of the commission during the 3-year reauthorization period. The 
department will review whether any changes to the commission are 
necessary to reflect its decreasing Federal parole responsibilities and 
its evolving supervised release responsibilities for the District of 
Columbia. These changes may include transferring all or some of the 
commission's functions to an entity or entities inside or outside the 
Department of Justice.
  We hope the department will share the results of this review with 
Congress as it will help the legislature make an informed decision 
about the future status of the U.S. Parole Commission.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 3294.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground 
that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum 
is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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