[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 65 (Thursday, April 10, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MOVING JUSTICE FORWARD

  (Mr. BELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BELL. Mr. Speaker, every day nearly half a million Americans sit 
in local jails without a conviction, overwhelmingly for nonviolent, 
low-level offenses. They are not there because they have been found 
guilty but because they can't afford bail or are stuck waiting for 
their day in court. While they wait, taxpayers pay the price.
  That is why I have introduced the Justice Forward Agenda, a target, 
results-driven plan to reduce crime and use taxpayer dollars more 
wisely. The Community First Pretrial Reform and Jail Decarceration Act 
helps local jurisdictions cut unnecessary pretrial detention and expand 
proven alternatives.
  The DART Act builds off my work as a St. Louis County prosecutor by 
giving law enforcement better tools like diversion programs and mental 
health courts to connect people with treatment, housing, and support 
that actually stops the cycle of incarceration.
  This isn't leniency. It is strategy. It is about investing in what 
works, in what has proven effective, and building safer, stronger 
communities.
  Mr. Speaker, let's move justice forward.

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