[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S7069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H.R. 5009

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I would like to take a minute to note the 
fiscal year 2025 NDAA conference agreement the Senate is voting on this 
week.
  Congress has passed a bipartisan Defense authorization bill every 
year without fail since 1961, a remarkable feat. And in an increasingly 
partisan Senate, it is even more remarkable.
  Every year, when the final text comes, there are inevitably Members 
on both sides of the aisle who like some provisions and dislike others. 
That is what compromise is all about.
  This year's text is no different. It includes a historic pay raise 
for junior enlisted troops. It provides continued support for Ukraine's 
territorial integrity and Baltic security cooperation.
  This bill authorizes important military construction projects. It 
reauthorizes my READ Act to continue quality basic education programs 
for vulnerable children around the world.
  At the same time, it also continues troubling restrictions that make 
it unnecessarily difficult to finally close the detention center at 
Guantanamo Bay. And it fails to include important provisions I 
sponsored that would have accelerated PFAS remediation and enabled the 
skilled DACA holders to enlist in the military to address our 
recruitment challenges.
  But there is one provision in this conference agreement that troubles 
me, a provision that would ban certain medical treatments for 
transgender children of servicemembers. It eliminates the ability of 
military families to work with medical professionals and make their own 
decisions about the healthcare needs of their own children.
  That is why I am a cosponsor of Senator Tammy Baldwin's amendment to 
remove this language from the bill.


                Sixth Anniversary of the First Step Act

  Mr. President, I would like now to highlight an important milestone. 
This coming Saturday, December 21, will mark the sixth anniversary of 
the First Step Act becoming law. That moment resulted from overwhelming 
bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate coming together to pass 
landmark criminal justice reform.
  I was honored to be the lead Democrat sponsor of this legislation, 
along with the lead Republican sponsor, Senator Chuck Grassley. 
Senators Cory Booker and Mike Lee joined us.
  The First Step Act acknowledges the obvious: The vast majority of 
people who are incarcerated will someday be released. So we must 
prepare them to successfully return to their communities.
  In the last 6 years, this law has safely and effectively reduced 
populations in overcrowded Federal prisons, reuniting families and 
revitalizing communities.
  The First Step Act looked toward the future by providing 
opportunities for the incarcerated people to reenter society 
successfully. It helped to reform harsh drug sentencing laws of the 
past and remedy their effects.
  I authored bipartisan legislation, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, 
that reduced the unjust 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and 
powder cocaine offenses.
  Under the First Step Act, the Fair Sentencing Act's reforms were made 
retroactive, allowing those who still serve sentences imposed before 
the change in law to be resentenced. I am thankful for the tireless 
efforts of many dedicated advocates and families who never gave up hope 
that this bill would become the law.
  Since the passage of the First Step Act, 6 years ago, I have met with 
many Americans who successfully returned home because of this historic 
legislation.
  The First Step Act has been a tremendous success. Of more than 40,000 
people released under this law through January of this year, only 9.7 
percent have been rearrested or returned to custody. Compare that to 
the Bureau of Prisons' overall recidivism rate of 45 percent--5 times 
that number. Unfortunately, some elected officials are calling now for 
a return to the punitive policies of the past, despite the success of 
the First Step Act.
  Here is the reality: We all deserve to live free from crime, but the 
War on Drugs, with its inflexible mandatory minimums, did not make 
communities safer. Instead, the so-called War on Drugs filled the 
prisons with young, mostly African-American men, and, at the same time, 
the price of illegal drugs went down, and the use of illegal drugs went 
up. The strategy didn't work.
  The First Step Act shows that we can do more than be just tough on 
crime. We can be, once and for all, smart on crime and achieve 
accountability without excessive punishment and incarceration.
  It is our job in Congress to thoughtfully respond to the enduring 
crisis of substance abuse in America. We should provide more 
opportunities for those who are incarcerated to reenter society 
successfully, reunite with their families, and contribute to their 
communities.
  And, we need to build on the bipartisan success of the First Step Act 
and work together to craft new policies to reduce crime in America.
  Six years ago, the First Step Act was signed into law by President 
Donald Trump, during his first term in office, while my lead Republican 
sponsor, Senator Chuck Grassley, was chair of the Senate Judiciary 
Committee. With Donald Trump returning to the White House and Senator 
Grassley returning as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, we have the 
opportunity to build on the success of the First Step Act.
  Six years ago, we wrote the blueprint for reimagining rehabilitation 
and protecting public safety. We know that it works.
  We must remember that passing this law was just the first step in a 
long journey toward rethinking rehab and reversing failed reaches. 
Today, as I reflect on what we achieved by correcting our past wrongs 
and investing in the power of second chances, I also recognize that 
more must be done to make our justice system fair and to keep America 
safe.
  We should learn from the experiences of individuals who have been 
incarcerated under misguided policies and are now seeking to reform the 
criminal justice system for the future.
  As we celebrate this anniversary, I will continue to work with my 
colleagues to reform outdated sentencing laws and improve conditions of 
confinement and rehabilitation within our Federal system.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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