Back to Back Wins on Criminal Justice Reform & Bipartisanship

ONE YEAR AFTER FIRST STEP ACT, FEDERAL MEASURE INCLUDED IN NDAA BANS THE BOX FOR FEDERAL JOB APPLICANTS – MAJOR BOOSTS FOR REENTRY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & FIGHTING RECIDIVISM 

After months of intense negotiations, the Fair Chance Act now appears as sec. 1121-1124 in the NDAA conference report, which goes up for a vote in Congress this week

“The Fair Chance Act is a signature achievement for bipartisan cooperation, and more importantly, for the more than seventy million Americans who struggle with the stigma of a criminal record,” said Holly Harris, Executive Director of the Justice Action Network.

“So much talent is wasted in this country when employers summarily dismiss people with records. The Fair Chance Act opens up tens of thousands of federal government and contracting jobs to people who have made mistakes, but just need a chance to get a foot in the door to present their skills and qualifications. We are grateful to the bill’s sponsors on both sides of the aisle, including Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Representative Doug Collins (R-GA), and the late Chairman Elijah Cummings. We cannot think of a more fitting way to honor Chairman Cummings’ legacy of putting people above partisanship than to open up federal public service to millions more Americans.”