THE SECOND CHANCE ACT
The Second Chance Act is up for reauthorization! LAC and HIRE celebrated passage of this legislation in 2008 because it authorizes grants that help states and communities begin to address the needs of people returning home from incarceration. These grants support addiction and mental health treatment, mentoring, job training and education opportunities, housing, and other critical reentry services.
The Second Chance Reauthorization Act, S. 1231, seeks to consolidate and improve the grant programs authorized by the Second Chance Act. Among the important programs that would be reauthorized by the bill are reentry demonstration and mentoring grants, addiction treatment grants, and correctional education grants. S. 1231 would reauthorize the Second Chance Act’s programs for five years and would increase the amount of funding authorized over that period of time.
For a brief description of the Second Chance Reauthorization Act, click here.
TAKE ACTION!
Now, we need your help to advocate for reauthorization. It is essential that your Senators hear that you, their constituents, support reauthorization of the Second Chance Act. Help promote reauthorization of these important programs by placing a call or sending an email to your Senator’s staff in Washington, D.C. and in his/her State office asking your Senator to become a co-sponsor of the Second Chance Reauthorization Act. In order to determine your Senator’s contact information in D.C. and in the home State please visit: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd.
SAMPLE TALKING POINTS
“I live in Senator ______________’s State and I would like to ask the Senator to co-sponsor reauthorization of the Second Chance Act. Reauthorizing the Second Chance Act will make communities safer by helping them to better address the needs of people with criminal records so they can reenter the community as successful, productive, and taxpaying members.”
Feel free to contact Mark O’Brien at mobrien@lac.org if you have any questions about the Second Chance Reauthorization Act or to discuss how you or your organization can get involved to help ensure its passage.
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