Senators Show Bipartisan Unity in the Push for Smart Justice Reform

This week, Republican and Democratic Senators renewed hope that criminal justice reform legislation will come to a vote this year. In the wake of tragic incidents that have divided the country, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) called for unity and made impassioned pleas to vote on legislation that would reduce mandatory minimums for low-level, non-violent offenders and expand recidivism-reduction programming.

If you agree that our country needs to urgently pass criminal justice reform, contact your legislators and tell them to move this legislation forward.

Chairman Chuck Grassley

“We are so encouraged by the inspired floor speeches on criminal justice reform in the United States Senate today. Senators Grassley, Durbin, Lee and Booker showed real leadership and their words are proof that this significant reform legislation is alive and well. This show of support comes on the heels of historical criminal justice language included in the RNC and DNC platforms. The Senators’ bipartisan call for action sets an example for the rest of the country that even during trying times, we can join hands and move this country forward,” said Executive Director Holly Harris.


Check out excerpts and additional videos of the floor speeches below:

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT):

“Criminal justice reform doesn’t call on conservatives to abandon their principles. It calls on them to fight for them…. As all of you know, the road to reform is long and it’s full of setbacks and obstacles, and today’s movement for criminal justice reform is no exception. But so long as the people here today are involved in this effort, I’m confident that we can together succeed where our prisons today often fail. In preparing our offenders to reintegrate into their communities as productive and law-abiding citizens–as spouses, parents, neighbors, and employees– instead of career criminals.”

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL):

“President Obama said we must try to find common ground when he spoke at this memorial service. He’s right… when it comes to really showing america and particularly those who feel aggrieved by the current state of justice, our bill on criminal justice reform speaks to a fundamental issue as to whether or not minority population, people of color are treated fairly in our system of justice… Senator Lee explained what we’re setting out to do here is to right an injustice, an injustice that is filling the federal prisons, sentencing individuals for lengthy sentences for nonviolent, non-gun drug offenses. This is long overdue and it’s something that we need to do and if we did it, if would say to those across America who are asking is Congress listening, is the Senate awake to what’s going on in our country, it would say to them yes, on a bipartisan basis these four senators and many more are prepared to bring reform to our criminal justice correction and sentencing system. Will it solve all our problems? No, not at all, but it’s a significant step forward.”

Senator Dick Durbin

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ):

“There are people that are frustrated. It is my hope when this comes to issue of criminal justice that are so obviously broken that we choose reform. That we choose healing. That we demonstrate unity. That on this issue, we bring forward a bipartisan bill that begins to cast away some of the darkness that hangs over our country with the light and the wisdom that’s in this bill, that reflects both sides of the political aisle and I believe reflects the best of who we are as a body.”

Senator Cory Booker

Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA):

“The people of this country want action to address deficiencies in the criminal justice system. This bill would make important but limited changes in the way that the federal government sentences those who commit crimes. We should take the bill up. We should debate the bill. And we should show the American people that we are willing to take on one of the most important domestic challenges facing the country and, most importantly because it’s bipartisan–which a lot of people don’t see this congress do very often–and because it’s bicameral.”

More from the U.S. Justice Action Network on Medium:

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The U.S. Justice Action Network works across the country to pass legislation to end overcriminalization, safely reduce the jail and prison population and related taxpayer costs, and break down barriers for those leaving prison to successfully re-enter society.

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