[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 111 (Thursday, July 16, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H5288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

  (Mr. FITZPATRICK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, it seems like, too often, issues in 
this town are predetermined--Republicans care about this; Democrats 
care about that. There isn't any crossover, and then we are stuck in 
gridlock.
  As someone who has spent my time in Congress working to bridge the 
gap between left and right, I know there is more that unites us than 
divides us on the big issues. Today, I am proud to highlight another 
area of bipartisan agreement, criminal justice reform.
  The SAFE Justice Act is a legislative proposal to modernize and 
strengthen our criminal justice system for the 21st century, addressing 
its exploding costs to taxpayers and often disproportionate 
application.
  States across the Nation--red and blue alike--have led the way on 
this important issue, and they offer a blueprint for how we address 
corrections at the Federal level.
  The SAFE Justice Act expands on these lessons by seeking to curtail 
overcriminalization, increase evidence-based sentencing alternatives, 
reduce recidivism, and increase transparency and accountability.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a serious, bipartisan appetite to address this 
issue now, from the House and the Senate to the White House; and I look 
forward to working with my colleagues to tackle serious criminal 
justice reform in this Congress.

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