Congressman Fattah Joins President Obama on Air Force One Ahead of NAACP Speech in Philadelphia
WASHINGTON, July 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02) will join President Barack Obama on Air Force One today as he travels to Philadelphia, ahead of the President's speech to address the 106th Annual NAACP Convention. Fattah—who has represented Philadelphia for 11 terms in Congress—will accompany the President to his speech, which is projected to focus on criminal justice reform and mass incarceration. The theme of this year's NAACP conference is "Pursuing Liberty in the Face of Injustice;" Congressman Fattah delivered remarks in two separate sessions to the conference earlier this week.
"It is an honor and privilege to join our President as he travels to Philadelphia today—particularly ahead of such an important policy speech on an issue I myself continue to push forward in Congress, and one that continues to attract bipartisan support throughout all levels of government," Congressman Fattah said ahead of the trip. "Philadelphia is the birthplace of the Constitution, and it is especially fitting that the President will deliver remarks here that speak to the unfairness of our current criminal justice system and offer innovative solutions to reform and reshape the United States' criminal justice policies."
The Congressman, who is the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, has been a leading advocate for comprehensive justice reform in the House of Representatives. In the 114th Congress, he has introduced two pieces of legislation that address overhauling the nation's criminal justice system: America's FOCUS Act and the House version of the REDEEM Act. The bipartisan FOCUS Act would steer unprecedented sums of federal support towards justice reinvestment projects that increase public safety by managing criminal justice populations more effectively. The REDEEM Act seeks to reduce recidivism among both youth and adults through a series of acts that would lessen the obstacles these nonviolent offenders face when rejoining society, and ultimately allows them a second chance at experiencing the American dream.
Congressman Fattah has been a leader in calling for support for justice reinvestment programs; he was instrumental in helping to create and fund the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections that is currently examining data-driven policy options to address the challenges associated with prison growth and increasing corrections costs. Fattah has also led the charge to increase funding for the Second Chance Act and has championed expanding the country's youth mentoring programs as a way to strategically invest in America's underserved youth.
SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah
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