Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, public service is a high calling, and we should do everything we can to encourage our best and our brightest, really all, to pursue it. For me, the opportunity to serve in Congress is a privilege and the honor of a lifetime, and I know my fellow Members feel the same.

Unfortunately, for too many young people, public service isn't always a realistic option. Nowhere is that surer than our broken criminal justice system. There is no question that if we are going to fix the problems that trouble our criminal justice system, we need prosecutors and public defenders of the highest caliber.

Right now, students graduate law school with between $84,000 and $122,000 in debt, while jobs in prosecutor's or defender's offices pay just $56- to $58,000 a year. As a result, students who are eager to contribute their talents to work for justice to defend the rights of the vulnerable simply can't afford to. Well, we can't afford to lose them.

The John R. Justice Act was designed to fix this problem by providing student loan repayment of $10,000 a year for law students who make a minimum 3-year commitment to public service. In theory, students can earn up to $60,000 in total loan repayments, making public service a far more realistic option.

In reality, however, Congress has failed to properly fund the program. While the program is authorized up to $25 million a year, actual appropriations have fallen dramatically short and now sit at just under $2 million.

Here are the consequences: In my home State of Pennsylvania, the Commission on Crime and Delinquency was able to fund only 38 of the 167 applicants received since 2015. That is less than 25 percent. For those individuals who were fortunate enough to receive any funding at all, the grant amounts totaled only $4,100.

That is better than nothing, but for most students it is not enough to help them pay down their debt and devote themselves to public service.

It is time to act. This amendment doubles the funds provided under the John R. Justice Act, thereby delivering an immediate, substantial impact. This will mean concrete help for many more students who are eager to work on behalf of the public and build a better, smarter, more compassionate criminal justice system.

It also sends a signal that we in Congress aren't satisfied with mere rhetoric and that we will do what it takes to give every student a chance to serve their communities and their country.

Mr. Chair, in closing, I am very pleased to put this forward in hopes that we draw more talent not just in my home State but across this country to public service in prosecutor's and public defender's offices around the Nation.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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