[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 88 (Monday, May 22, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3054-S3056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
National Drug Court Month
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise to recognize National Drug Court
Month and show my support for the positive impact drug courts have on
cutting crime, saving money, and restoring lives.
I have seen firsthand the impact of drug courts in Arkansas. This
proven
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approach has helped many Arkansans suffering from drug and alcohol
abuse who have received the treatment and services they need to turn
their lives around. For more than two decades, these courts have
offered Arkansas' drug-addicted, nonviolent offenders an alternative to
jail while rehabilitating them through a strenuous treatment program.
We have nearly 90 specialty courts in Arkansas that are providing
lifesaving treatment to more than 3,000 individuals with substance use
disorders, and the results are impressive. Our State saves $45 million
each year by diverting these offenders from prison to drug courts.
Ninety percent of Arkansas drug court participants' drug tests come
back negative for illegal substances, compared to 64 percent of those
on probation and parole.
Drug courts are a critical component of today's criminal justice
system. They have proven to be an effective alternative to jail for
individuals convicted of nonviolent drug charges. Holding offenders
with substance use and mental health disorders accountable through
strict supervision and treatment, drug courts and veterans treatment
courts have saved taxpayer dollars and the lives of more than 1.5
million people, including a remarkable man I recently met who shared
his story.
Blayne was facing 20 years in prison because of crimes he had
committed to support a 10-year addiction to prescription opioids. This
epidemic currently takes 94 American lives every single day, but Blayne
is one of the lucky ones. His community had a drug court. The drug
court program gave him the tools he needed to stop using drugs and
helped him reconnect with his family, find employment, and get his life
back on track.
Instead of sitting in a jail cell on the taxpayers' dime, he is
working as a teacher. Instead of breaking into homes, he owns one.
Today, Blayne is a dedicated family man. He told me: ``Drug court was a
chance to become the father and husband that I wanted to be.''
His story is similar to hundreds of Arkansans who have drug courts to
thank for turning their lives around. An Arkansas drug court gave a
woman named Sammy a second chance. She became addicted to painkillers
at the age of 22 when she suffered a back injury. Her addiction led her
down a very dangerous path, where she also started using meth every
day. It also led her into the criminal justice system, and she was
facing 20 years in prison. Drug court helped Sammy change her
lifestyle. Now she is a positive role model for her children, holding
down a full-time job and giving back to her community.
This is the power drug courts and other treatment courts have that
change lives, heal families, and save money. The success of drug
treatment courts has become a model tailored to the needs of different
groups from veterans to juveniles. The willingness of the judicial
system to adopt alternative methods to jail time is a cost-effective
approach to changing the habits of drug addicts and saving the lives of
people like Blayne and Sammy.
As Washington pursues options for criminal justice reform, drug
courts are a great example of a program that works. More than 25 years
of research has proven they reduce crime and substance abuse, break the
vicious cycle of recidivism, and keep families together.
In Arkansas and every other State in the country, drug courts are
making a real difference. I want to recognize and thank the more than
30,000 drug court judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment
providers, probation officers, court administrators, and other
professionals who are on the frontlines of providing a path to
recovery. As we recognize National Drug Court Month, this is a great
opportunity to show our commitment for the Drug Court Discretionary
Grant Program and the Veterans Treatment Court Initiative at the
Department of Justice. While there are 150,000 Americans being served
by drug courts and veterans treatment courts today, there are more than
1 million individuals in our justice system who do not yet have access
to these lifesaving programs.
I ask you to join me in supporting resources for these programs to
improve public safety, save taxpayer dollars, and, most importantly,
save lives.
With that, I yield back.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, the United States' relationship with
China is one of our most complicated and consequential in the world.
The United States must maintain a constructive partnership with China
to address global threats ranging from climate change to North Korea's
nuclear program. While our interests are often at odds, our
relationship with China must be built on respect, not rebuffs--on tact,
not tweets.
On the campaign trail, President Trump's rhetoric about China was as
caustic as it was hollow. He claimed that climate change was a ``hoax
perpetrated by the Chinese.'' He contended that we could not ``continue
to allow China to rape our country.'' He declared China was ``our
enemy'' and that he would direct the Treasury Department to label China
a currency manipulator on his first day in office. He said he would not
honor the ``one China policy'' without extracting concessions from the
Chinese on trade. None of these threats materialized when Trump assumed
office, of course. When rhetoric met reality, Trump retreated.
Even while he railed against China during his campaign, Trump
simultaneously extolled his deep financial ties with the country. He
credited the Chinese for much of his own personal fortune, saying,
``I've made a lot of money with China,'' and ``I do great with China, I
sell them condos, I have the largest bank in the world from China, the
largest in the world by far. They're a tenant of mine in a building I
own in Manhattan.''
Trump is the only President in modern history who has not divested
his financial holdings or established a blind trust, and his financial
entanglements with China have grown since his inauguration. Earlier
this year, China gave the Trump Organization preliminary approval for
38 trademarks, paving the way for the President and his family to
develop a host of branded business from hotels, to insurance, to
bodyguard and escort services. On the very same night that Ivanka Trump
and Jared Kushner dined with Chinese President Xi at Mar-a-Lago, China
granted Ivanka Trump's company three new trademarks. All of this points
to the very real possibility that Trump and his family are using the
Presidency to increase their personal profit, in violation of the
Constitution, and that the-Chinese are accommodating them.
Governor Terry Branstad is far from an ideal choice for the U.S.
Ambassador to China. His record on labor rights is deeply troubling,
including his decision earlier this year to sign into law a bill that
dramatically scales back the rights of workers to bargain collectively
for their health insurance, evaluation procedures, and supplemental
pay.
However, in an administration that has put forward few qualified
candidates for public office, Governor Branstad possesses some of the
experience required for this critical diplomatic post. Governor
Branstad has worked with the Chinese and with Chinese President Xi
specifically for several decades. In his testimony before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, he alleged he would use this longstanding
relationship to press President Xi on the North Korean nuclear threat.
He acknowledged the importance of opening Chinese markets to U.S. goods
while recognizing the need to hold them accountable for unfair trade
practices. He claimed that he would promote American values abroad,
including human rights, the importance of a free press, and a rules-
based international order.
Governor Branstad's recognition of the importance of these basic
American values, values President Trump himself does not acknowledge,
is vital in our engagements with China and countries around the world.
Governor Branstad's longstanding relationships in China suggest he may
be more responsible and disciplined in his statements and behavior than
President Trump. Given the vast array of global issues that require
China's cooperation, I hope Governor Branstad remains faithful to his
testimony and attempts to foster a productive relationship with China.
For these reasons, I support his nomination for U.S. Ambassador to
China.
Mr. YOUNG. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
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The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Ernst). The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. PORTMAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.