Good Conduct Time Credits for Certain Elderly Nonviolent Offenders

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4018, the elderly offender good conduct time legislation. Last year, Ranking Member Collins and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries led the way in drafting and shepherding through Congress the First Step Act. Attorney General Barr has repeatedly stated his intent to fully implement the provisions of the act.

Our job as legislators in this space is twofold; first, to conduct oversight to ensure the First Step Act is responsibly implemented; and, two, to address issues in that implementation.

One such technical issue is addressed by H.R. 4018. This bill would allow the Bureau of Prisons to transfer eligible elderly, nonviolent offenders from BOP facilities into home confinement when they have reached 60 years of age and served two-thirds of the term of imprisonment to which they were sentenced.

This is a bill technical in nature designed to correct a flaw in the First Step Act that will promote fairness in the implementation of good conduct time, as reformed in the First Step Act, and ensure our prisons do not become nursing homes. I believe that if we do not ensure that this act works, we will lose credibility with the American people, and any future efforts to reform our criminal justice system will fail.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same. I thank the gentleman for his support of this fine legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time

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