Watch your Congress Well

While Iraq burns, legislation waits for no one.  Forget about all the problems that we face right now... Crony Supreme Court appointment, the House majority leader's indictments (man, I love the fact its plural), the Senate majority leader's being investigated for some no-no insider trading, the White House brainmeister Meisterbrain Rove's possible indictment not to mention we all are hoping for the words "unindicted Coconspirator", the impending budget crisis because of the expensive folly in Iraq and the give aways to the well heeled and corporate... Yes there is much we could be talking about and if you read below, we are.

But for a moment or two I want to talk about something else. Something that might do some good.

I want to discuss a piece of legislation that hasn't even been introduced yet in the Senate.  All the headlines have consequences toward policies, yet there are those occasional ideas that are not in the headlines, but are of great importance anyway.  As we watch the big news shows talk Rove and Lott and the accumulation of evidence that W is perhaps the worst president ever... There is a chance to talk about bad crime policies that continue while any real governmental help struggles for a place on the agenda.

The Second Chance Act has been introduced in the House (HR 1704, look it up) and aims to help the 650,000 persons who reenter society each year from prisons and thousands more from jails.  Included in the bill are many resources and prevention interventions.  It will fund projects to assist local governments that are designed both for public safety and reducing recidivism.
           
Most readers of this blog thingie probably support this legislation, although most of us would like to see a greater commitment by the federal government.  The funding is paltry indeed -- $100 million for three years is the likely price tag.  Please remember gentle reader that the whole budget is about two trillion a year. 

This legislation is not a panacea (no mental health care, for example) but managers of the bill say it is a a foot in the door for a politically sensitive issue -- meaning that it might actually help some people.  Helping returning prisoners leaves any politician vulnerable to being called "soft on crime" and we all know what that can do to a politican.  However, passing this modest bill would be an incredible breakthrough in non-punitive legislative crime policies.

So, call your congressional represenatives and ask them to support this legislation. Call your senators too.