[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 170 (Monday, October 28, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8489-H8491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VETERAN TREATMENT COURT COORDINATION ACT OF 2019
Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 886) to direct the Attorney General to establish and carry out a
Veteran Treatment Court Program, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 886
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 ``Veteran Treatment Court
Coordination Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that veterans treatment courts
are a successful program aimed at helping veterans charged
with non-violent crimes receive the help and the benefits for
which the veterans are entitled.
SEC. 3. VETERAN TREATMENT COURT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, in coordination with the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, the Attorney General shall establish and
carry out a Veteran Treatment Court Program to provide grants
and technical assistance to court systems that--
(1) have adopted a Veterans Treatment Court Program; or
(2) have filed a notice of intent to establish a Veterans
Treatment Court Program with the Secretary.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Veterans Treatment Court
Program established under subsection (a) is to ensure the
Department of Justice has a single office to coordinate the
provision of grants, training, and technical assistance to
help State, local, and Tribal governments to develop and
maintain veteran treatment courts.
(c) Programs Included.--The Veterans Treatment Court
Program established under subsection (a) shall include the
grant programs relating to veterans treatment courts carried
out by the Attorney General pursuant to sections 2901, 2991,
and 3021 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10581, 10651, and 10701) or any other
provision of law.
(d) Regulations.--The Attorney General shall promulgate
regulations to carry out this section.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Bass) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) each
will control 20 minutes.
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The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative 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
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 886, the Veteran Treatment Court
Coordination Act. This bill stands as a testament to the commitment
Congress has to veterans, those who have service-connected mental
health disabilities and become involved in the criminal justice system.
By establishing a grant program office called the Veteran Treatment
Court Program Office in the Department of Justice, the bill makes
permanent our support for the hundreds of local veteran treatment court
programs around the country that successfully rehabilitate veterans.
The Veterans Treatment Court Program Office would build upon the
success of the hundreds of veterans courts programs in the United
States by standardizing data reporting methods, serving as a repository
for resources, providing training to veterans court administrators, and
distributing information nationwide on best practices on how to improve
the administration of veterans courts.
Despite efforts to welcome veterans home and ease their transition to
civilian life, many veterans continue to face hardships after
completing their military service. One study reports that approximately
9 percent of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been
arrested since returning home.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that approximately 180,000
veterans were incarcerated in State and Federal prisons between 2011
and 2012. Of those incarcerated veterans surveyed, 48 percent of
veterans in prison and 55 percent of veterans in jail reported that
they had been told by a mental health professional that they had a
mental health disorder.
Veterans treatment courts can provide an effective means by which
communities can rehabilitate veterans who commit crimes and support
victims by ensuring veteran-defendants pay restitution before they may
receive a dismissal or expungement.
Empirical studies show that veterans courts provide more effective
means of rehabilitating justice-involved veterans. Although 20 percent
of veterans court participants received jail sanctions during their
participation in the veterans court program, only 14 percent
experienced a new incarceration during an average of nearly 1 year in
the program. This rate of recidivism is substantially less than the 23
to 46 percent 1-year recidivism rate found among nonveteran prisoners.
Most programs report less than five dropouts in the 2017 calendar year.
There are over 500 veteran treatment courts operated by State, local,
and Tribal governments. This bill ensures existing programs will
continue their mission to serve our veterans and make it easier for
jurisdictions to start new veterans court programs and adopt best
practices.
I thank our colleague, Representative Charlie Crist, for his
leadership in authoring this bill and for his continuing dedication to
supporting our veterans.
This is a thoughtful and important bill that will help veterans who
need our assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume. I appreciate the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass).
She did a great job explaining this bill. This is an easy bill. This is
one that we should come to. This is exactly why suspensions exist, to
do something like this.
On a personal note, as a member of the Air Force Reserve, someone who
has been both in the Navy and Air Force, serving in Iraq and others,
this is something that is very good.
In my home of Hall County, Georgia, the veterans courts have been set
up for several years now. We see the mentoring aspect, the peer
activity, something that we gained in the military and something that
is very important and vital for these individuals who have gone through
run-ins with the law on many occasions, on different ideas, especially
if it has to do with things that came out of their service. We owe them
no greater debt than we do others, to make sure that they have a chance
to get their lives back straight.
Veteran treatments court do that, and this coordination act puts the
emphasis on it from a Federal level.
I could not think of a better way to start this week. Hopefully,
holding a good bill together, that we could get this to the Senate as
quickly as possible, and get it, even more importantly, to the
President's desk so that it becomes more than a political statement but
actually a law.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Crist).
Mr. CRIST. Mr. Speaker, after 9/11, thousands of America's best had
to offer to sign up for our freedom. They served their country with
honor to keep all of us here and our loved ones save. Many of these
heroes suffered greatly with wounds that you can see and, in many
cases, wounds that you cannot.
Too many veterans face mental and physical disabilities. Too many
veterans come home without support structures. Too many veterans lack
opportunities. And too many veterans self-medicate, find themselves in
the criminal justice system, and are forgotten.
In 2008, the first veteran treatment court was established in
Buffalo, New York. The idea is that veterans face unique challenges
that require veteran-specific care.
While the VA can be an option for a veteran in crisis, including at
the C.W. Bill Young Medical Center in my district, not every veteran in
crisis goes to the VA, and if they do, they may not have somebody to
check on them and make sure they are okay.
Veterans treatment courts are diversion programs. Working with
justice outreach specialists at their local VA medical centers, social
workers and counselors at the local level, and veterans service
organizations, vet courts get nonviolent veterans who qualify into
treatment and counseling instead of just locking them up.
After they complete the requirements, the veteran can even have their
record expunged, preserving housing and employment opportunities.
Just over 10 years after the first court, there are now hundreds all
around the country, including one in my home of Pinellas County,
Florida.
Each vet court is different, starting in the community from scratch
and coordinating the people and organizations that will help
rehabilitate veterans in their program.
Congress, recognizing the importance of these courts in our
districts, has provided funding for vet courts for a few years now,
including a record $25 million in the House-passed Commerce, Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
However, unlike other justice grant programs, like juvenile justice
programs, there is still not adequate coordination at the Department of
Justice to provide best practices, support, as well as technical
assistance to communities that have vet court or want to start one.
The Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act fixes this, establishing
the Veteran Treatment Court Program in the Office of Justice Programs.
I am thankful to my colleagues on the Committee on Appropriations, of
which I am a member, particularly the gentlewoman from New York,
Chairwoman Lowey, and the gentleman from New York, Chairman Serrano,
for their steadfast support of the veteran treatment court funding.
However, the Department of Justice, which administers the grants,
needs an office dedicated to helping and guiding communities that want
to access grants or want to set up their own veterans court.
I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik) for her work
over this past year, as well as the gentleman from New York, Chairman
Nadler, and the gentlewoman from California, Chairwoman Bass, for their
[[Page H8491]]
leadership on the Committee on the Judiciary, fighting for criminal
justice reforms as well as diversion programs.
Lastly, I thank all the organizations, both veterans service
organizations and criminal justice professionals, that have helped
build support for this over the past 2 years and that have worked
tirelessly in our districts to make veterans treatment courts so
successful.
This includes the National Military and Veterans Alliance, the
National Veterans Court Alliance, and the National District Attorneys
Association, all of which have endorsed the legislation, along with 19
veteran groups total.
When a veteran suffering because of their service makes a mistake, we
have a duty as a country to do all we can to give them the very best
possible outcome. We have a duty to fight for those who fought for our
freedoms.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman has no more
speakers, I am prepared to close.
Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. I appreciate everybody and all the
hard work that has gone into it.
When we take time to come together and lock arms to do these kinds of
bills, these are things that actually move the needle for people back
home, the reason we are here. This is very easy to support. This should
be a simple voice vote. Get it done, and get this done.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman from California, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his brevity.
Mr. Speaker, this bill would help provide support to more than 1
million veterans diagnosed with service-connected disabilities, as well
as the thousands who are undiagnosed who have been and will be exposed
to the criminal justice system.
Supporting rehabilitative veterans courts programs is the least we
can do to acknowledge their sacrifice and treat our veterans involved
with the criminal justice system with compassion and care.
Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in
supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in
strong support of H.R. 886, the Veteran Treatment Court Coordination
Act of 2019.
Our men and women in uniform often struggle with physical and mental
remnants of their time in service. According to the VA, over 1.7
million veterans received treatment through a VA mental health
specialty program in 2018.
Additionally, close to 20 percent of service members returning from
Iraq or Afghanistan experience depression or have a Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder diagnosis.
Mr. Speaker, we want our veterans to thrive. They listened to their
Nation's call and served when needed. It is now our responsibility to
address every single issue that stops them from living a full life and
continue to contribute to their country as a civilian.
Veterans' Treatment Courts are a valuable tool that assists veterans
facing non-violent criminal charges resulting from mental illness,
substance abuse or other adverse behavior.
They provide alternatives at the state and county level that focus on
rehabilitation and reintegration in part by facilitating programs that
provide support and resources to veterans.
H.R. 886 directs the Department of Justice to establish a Veterans
Treatment Court Program that provides grants and technical assistance
for local governments to develop and maintain veteran treatment courts.
State circuits that have either adopted a Veterans Treatment Court or
have filed a notice of intent to establish a Veterans Treatment Court
would be eligible.
I am a proud cosponsor of this bill. I genuinely believe veterans are
an asset to our communities and as such should be given all available
help and assistance.
I thank my colleague, Mr. Crist from Florida for his leadership on
this issue and encourage my colleagues to vote in favor.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 886, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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