FOLLOWING RASH OF BELTWAY INFECTIONS, JUSTICE ACTION NETWORK URGES SPEAKER PELOSI, SECRETARY MNUCHIN TO COMMIT TO A COVID-19 RELIEF BILL
Current House Bill Includes Key Life-Saving, Job-Saving Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Measures
Justice Action Network’s Holly Harris: “Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Mnuchin are clearly committed to doing the hard work on a bipartisan deal, and others need to follow or get out of the way.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Last night, Democratic lawmakers passed a COVID-19 relief package, including several emergency criminal justice reform measures that have garnered bipartisan support – and hours later, the White House announced that the President and First Lady had contracted COVID-19. With renewed focus on a deal, Holly Harris, President and Executive Director of Justice Action Network, issued the following statement:
“Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Mnuchin are clearly committed to doing the hard work on a bipartisan deal, and others need to follow or get out of the way. We must get critical dollars to local jurisdictions that are struggling to balance public health and public safety. We hope that as we talk about the rash of high-profile diagnoses today, Washington gets a reality check and considers the forgotten in our society, including people in jails and prisons, tens of thousands of which have fallen sick or died from COVID-19. The emergency bipartisan reforms in the House package include life-saving policies, and we are heartened to see certain Senate Republicans, especially those hearing from their constituents every day on the campaign trial, signal they want a deal. It’s time to put people before politics and ensure we give as much help and attention to all Americans as we give to those in the Beltway.”
The HEROES Act includes reforms that address these critical areas. Justice Action Network is calling on Senate Republicans and the White House to ensure they are included in any final relief package; in recent days, vulnerable Senate Republicans including X, Y and Z have indicated their desire to pass a bill:
Local Justice System Funding – Critical support is needed for state and local law enforcement leaders doing it right – safely reducing incarceration rates to balance public health and public safety; these emergency resources could be used for addiction and mental health treatment; improved access to technology for justice system first responders; staffing deficiencies due to sickness and quarantining; and increased medical care and testing. The provision is a plea from state and local justice officials in more than a dozen states serving on the COVID-19 Emergency Justice Taskforce.
Paycheck Protection Program Second Chance Act – Introduced by Senators Portman, Cardin, Booker and Lankford, the bipartisan proposal would remove barriers to PPP for business owners with criminal records, roughly a third of all small business owners who turned away from crime to create jobs and contribute to society. Only one-in-four Americans supported a prohibition on small business emergency funding for people with criminal records.
Elderly Release – Introduced by the bipartisan duo of Senators Durbin and Grassley, this proposal would help protect seniors – the fastest growing portion of the prison population and most vulnerable to COVID-19. We know COVID-19 hits the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions the hardest, and measures like social distancing are impossible in prisons. Transferring seniors who do not pose a risk to public safety into home detention must be a top priority for Congress – or the disease will continue to spread throughout prison facilities and into surrounding communities, and more lives will be lost. This policy was supported by 69% of Americans, with majority support from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats.
These criminal justice reforms have garnered strong bipartisan support from organizations across the political spectrum, including Arnold Ventures, FAMM, R Street Institute, Prison Fellowship, FreedomWorks, and ACLU.