Members
Co-Chairs
 Rep. Cárdenas is a national expert in juvenile justice reform with a proven track record of enacting unprecedented legislation for over 17 years. As a legislator in the California State Assembly, including his former role as Chairman of the state’s powerful Budget Committee, and as a former Los Angeles City Councilmember, Tony Cárdenas has successfully worked on effective youth development and juvenile justice policy and legislation. Cárdenas also introduced HR 2669, the Community-Based Gang Intervention Act, to provide a nationwide approach to reducing youth violence and promote public safety through evidence-based community development that targets at-risk youth and their families. In 2000, Cárdenas, then a California State Assemblyman, co-authored and passed AB 1913, the Schiff-Cárdenas Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act which has provided local communities with approximately $120 million per year, the single, largest appropriation of state funds for youth crime prevention in the history of the United States. This bill was designed to counterbalance rising incarceration costs and has provided over a billion dollars for youth development services and programming helping to drastically reduce juvenile crime throughout the state of California. |
 Rep. Reichert began his public service career in the United States Air Force Reserve. He joined the King County Sheriff’s Office in 1972 and is recognized for his role as the lead detective on the Green RiverTask Force and bringing to justice one of the most notorious serial killers in U.S. history. Reichert, a two-time Medal of Valor recipient, was elected to the position of King County Sheriff in 1997. In 2004, he was honored as “Sheriff of the Year” by the National Sheriffs’ Association for his efforts to reduce crime and advocate for victims of domestic violence. He is recognized as a pioneer in the fight against Meth for establishing Meth Action Teams throughout the state that to this day work to combat the scourge of Meth and other drugs in our communities. In late 2004, Reichert was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and became only the 6th Freshman Member of Congress in U.S. history to chair a House subcommittee. |
Members
 Prior to serving in Congress, Ted Poe served in the United States Air Force Reserves, taught high school and college classes and earned a law degree from the University of Houston. Soon after graduation, he accepted a position as a prosecutor in Houston, Texas. During his eight years of service with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, he became the chief felony prosecutor and never lost a jury trial. He later became one of the youngest judges ever appointed in Texas. Judge Poe was elected six times over twenty plus years on the bench and heard more than 20,000 of the worst criminal cases. On the bench, Judge Poe garnered national media attention for his creative sentencing for criminals and hard-nosed approach to enforcing the law. Dubbed by the media as “Poetic Justice” punishments, he ordered thieves to carry signs in front of stores from which they stole; commanded sex offenders to place warning signs on their homes after serving jail time; and directed murderers to place a photo of their victims on the wall of their prison cells reminding them of their crime. |
 Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott serves on the Education and the Workforce Committee and on the Judiciary Committee, where he is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations. Congressman Scott is a recognized champion of the Constitution and protecting the rights and civil liberties of all Americans. Since the beginning of his tenure in Congress, he has led efforts to pass comprehensive juvenile justice reform and crime prevention legislation. Towards that end, he has sponsored the Youth PROMISE Act, which would provide resources to state and local governments for evidenced-based strategies and programs to prevent juvenile crime. He is also leading efforts to enact legislation designed to reduce high school dropout rates and increase access to a college education for all students.
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